Crossing Paths
by pointlessfangirl
Summary: A short but passionate summer romance ended between Kurt and Blaine when they were eighteen years old. They never expected to meet again six years later.
1. Prologue

There are times in your lifetime when things will take you by surprise.

Sometimes you least expect it. Sometimes you can feel it moving towards you, and you turn around just at the exact second it faces you. It could be anything. A surprise kiss from your love. Getting fired from a job. Getting hit by a moving vehicle. Catching the eye of someone unbelievably attractive, or caught in the glare of a person you hate.

He sat in the little cushioned seat next to the window that displayed the New York city traffic. It gleamed against the snowy pavement, projecting artificial lights, different flashes of green and red and yellow and orange, beeping loudly. But the man pays no attention to what's going on outside. Instead, he only focuses on what's happening inside the small, crowded diner.

The man is speechless. Even with lots of cranky families and annoying couples looking for a place to slurp on a hot cup of sugary liquid blocking the entrance and walk ways through the small diner, he still sees him. There's another man about his age, walking towards him. He's dressed in one of the diner's uniforms, a pair of black pants and a blue, short sleeve dress shirt. He keeps on walking towards him without stopping to talk to any of his customers. It's awfully busy, even for a tiny place like this. But that's probably because it's a few days after December 25, Christmas day, and all people want to do is relax. Good luck doing that.

The man does not take his eyes off of the waiter coming his way. He looks a little timid, his shy, bright eyes staring straight ahead and looking at the man sitting down with a questioning look. His eyes are practically screaming, _what are you doing here?_

Anyone could easily just predict that the waiter was coming to clear the man's dishes, or ask him if he needed anything else, or maybe even chat about how his holidays are going. Everything is a spinning blur around them. The man is captivated by the waiter, just as he was six years ago. And the waiter is curious towards the man, just as _he_ was six years ago.

When the waiter finally approaches the table and comes to an abrupt halt, he doesn't say anything for a few seconds, which feels like two thousand years. Yes, there are some unexpected surprises that come into our lives. But the waiter could not tell if this was the best surprise he'd ever gotten in his whole life...or the worst one.

The waiter's mouth gapes open slightly, not really knowing how to form the words his his head into proper sentences. The man sitting down in the chair seems to do the same thing. That was when the waiter, his arms uncrossing from his chest and laying limply by his side, finally gathers up some courage to speak. His throat feels like it is made out of sandpaper.

"Hello, Blaine," the waiter says.

"Kurt."


	2. Part One: Summer

_Hello everyone!_

_Thanks for reading that dramatic intro. I'm so excited to be starting my third story. Before I begin, however, I did promise you all that I would write about my experiences with Darren Criss on Broadway. So, here is my very long post about me getting close to him. So I arrived in NYC on the 12th of January, and I saw his show at 8. I took a few pictures of the stage before it started, and when he came up on the harness from the orchestra pit you don't even know how much I was crying. The show was fantastic, Darren did such an amazing job as well as the rest of the cast. I literally pushed my way through so many people to try and meet him, but it was so crowded so I could only watch him from across the street. BUT WAIT! TWIST ENDING! I was supposed to go home the next day, but my flight was canceled due to weather complications. So what did I do? Went back to the hotel, changed, and went back out for 2 and a half hours in the cold to wait for Darren. The security guards kept pushing everyone away (which was unfair because they didn't do that any other night) so I had to wait until he actually came outside. I did not get an autograph, because when I say this I am not exaggerating, but I was squished in between so many people, I was like a sardine in a can. I did, however, get some really clear shots of his face because I was about two meters away from his beautiful being and alkajlciohrgeolahure I was in tears. I met so many nice, new friends, including glee fans, starkids and theatre kids in general, like me. Me and five other girls started singing "Not Alone" to get his attention while he was signing stuff, and he definitely heard us, he just didn't come to us because he was signing something. And before he went inside, he climbed on the steps and he was like "If you can hear me, I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming!" He's the sweetest person ever! I had the experience of a life time and Darren was absolutely fantastic. Even though i didn't get an autograph I'm still so happy and grateful that I got the chance to be that close to him and see his face right in front of mine. I even saw his mom get into the car! I wanted to say something in tagalog because Darren and his mom are filipino and so am I, but that would be a little creepy haha (: It was a great night. Anyway, thank you so much for reading my journey to NYC for three days only! I'm so glad my flight back home got canceled other wise I wouldn't have gotten an extra day of fun. If anyone else saw the show, please let me know what you thought of it! And if you'd like to hear more personal stories about the show or have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me. (: Enjoy my next humble creation._

**SUMMER 2012.**

Summer is the best time for everything. The best time for weather, for staying out late, for laughing with friends, even for exploring new things. Summer was especially a great time for romances that blossomed like flowers all over the place. Summer romances seemed pretty silly and unproductive to Blaine Anderson, because they only usually lasted a short amount of time and were just based on acting all mushy and cute. Blaine was eighteen, a relatively handsome kid for his age, and was over all just a fun person to be around. He didn't really care too much for brief, annoying summer romances.

Little did he know, not all summer romances were stereotyped in that way.

A large, white SUV was parked outside, underneath a tall, lively oak tree. The soft, summer breeze danced through the green leaves, making them rustle in a rubato rhythm. The sun, round, fat and perched high in the sky, gleamed brightly and hotly down on the small lake below it. Birds and bugs flew about, some mosquitoes already beginning to bite at Blaine's ankles and wrists. And in front of the oak tree, resting on top of a rocky hill, was a huge, white house that looked like it belonged to a billionaire. It seemed like the perfect setting for a summer vacation, and it was.

"Damn, Wes," David wooed, carrying his luggage from out of the SUV trunk. "I knew you had a nice cottage, but this is tight!"

"I forbid you from ever saying the word 'tight' ever again," Jeff said. "But I do have to agree, Wes. This place looks amazing and we haven't even gone inside yet!"

"Where'd you get a place like this?" Nick asked, following Wes and the boys up the hill when they finished unpacking from the SUV.

"It was a gift to my parents on their honey moon from their friends," Wes explained, hauling his bag up the hill. "We come here every summer, and since I'm old enough to go placed by myself, they said I could take a few friends along."

"I wish we could live here," Blaine sighed, looking out at the blue, glimmering lake water. "Too bad we're only here for six weeks."

"Seven weeks and two days," Wes corrected. "And we can always come back next year. We're practically spending out whole summer here. I'm lucky I convinced my parents to stay this long by myself."

It was the summer after the boys' senior year of high school. When the sunny days and late nights were over, they'd have to drive back home to Westerville, away from Eliot Park where Wes's cottage was, and pack their bags for college. Blaine was really looking forward to college. He'd gotten accepted into an arts college a few miles outside of Westerville, where he'd hope to pursue his dreams in music and theatre.

When the boys reached the house, their jaws dropped when they could see it more clearly. This was not a house. This was a freaking mansion on a hill. The outside was enormous, painted white with dark red doors and window shutters. The roof was flat, allowing people to go up on top of it and climb to trees if they wanted to. The lawn had long, tangled grass everywhere, with a perfect view of the lake and even a lovely little WELCOME mat at the door.

"Wow," Nick gasped. "Wes, how rich are you?"

"Not at all," Wes grinned. He took out the keys from the pocket of his shorts, dangling them in front of the lock and turning the nob. "Welcome to my home away from home."

The inside of the house was even better than the outside. The front entrance was beautiful, with hard-wooded floors the color of chocolate, a few sofa's to lounge on in front of a flat screened television, lemon-yellow painted walls and maroon drapes hanging from a large glass window. It reminded Blaine of a set of a movie, or a hotel lobby.

"Okay, I take it back," Jeff said, "David, you were right. This place is indeed tight."

"Jesus, Wes," Blaine whistled, clearly impressed. "This place is huge."

"We could play football in here and not even break a single thing," Nick pointed out, eyeing a glass vase sitting on top of a perfectly carved desk. "That's how big it is."

"You guys can go upstairs to your rooms, if you want," Wes said, sounding indifferent. "They're on the hall to the left upstairs."

Excited, the boys raced up the polished stone staircase and into a wide hallway. The floors creaked a little when they bounced all over the place.

"Holy crap!" yelled one of the boys from inside their rooms. "This is better than my room!"

Blaine had to agree. He stepped inside his room, carefully setting his luggage and his guitar case down and taking in his surroundings. In the center of the room was a double bed with a black duvet so comfy enough you could drown in it. There was a small walk-in closet, a tall wooden drawer, and a window hanging above the headboard of the bed. Blaine smiled. He knew he was going to have a lot of fun here.

"Unpack your things, guys!" Wes called from downstairs. "I don't want to have to do it later when we're all too exhausted to move."

Zipping open his backpack and stowing away his shorts, jeans, shirts, extra shoes and pajama's inside the drawers, he unbuckled the latches on his guitar case and took out the instrument. It wasn't a huge guitar, just a small one easy enough to carry around. He set it up against the wall, strumming a few strings with his fingers. The dissonant sound echoed in the spacey room. There was a knock from the side of the door, and Blaine turned around.

"I see you've gotten comfortable," Wes said, crossing his arms and smiling.

"Of course," Blaine replied. "Anyone could get comfortable here. I don't even understand how someone could own this place. It looks like one of those houses that are up for sale and that different people can come in to look at but no one ever buys it. Or something you see on MTV cribs."

Wes chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you like it, because this old house it going to be our mother for the next couple of weeks."

The boys exited the room together, and Jeff and Nick were already wrestling and horsing around.

"Hey, hey, watch yourselves!" Wes waved them away like a bunch of annoying flies. "If one of you dies down here, I'm not driving you to the hospital."

"What exactly is there here to do, anyway?" Nick asked, rubbing his neck after Jeff tackled him.

Wes shrugged, heading down the stairs. "Swimming. Hiking. Running around like an idiot outside. It's just a nice place to come for summer."

"Good thing there's a lake," Jeff commented, "We were only outside for like, thirty seconds and I already started to sweat."

"Gross," Blaine crinkled his nose. The boys made their way down into the kitchen where they found David, peering out the large, glass window that almost took up one wall. David's face looked like he was concentrating very hard on something.

"See any killer mosquitoes out there, David?" Nick laughed sarcastically.

"Nope," david said, not turning away from the window, "But I did find something. Wes, you never told us you had neighbors."

"Neighbors?" Wes walked over to David at the window. "Oh, yeah. They never really come here a lot during the summer. Once, when I was a kid, I saw them a couple of times, but usually they abandon their cottage."

"Who?" asked Blaine. He came to the window now, too.

"This girl that has a cottage right next to ours." Wes pointed out, and surely, a few yards down, was a smaller, less fancy looking house. It wasn't run dow or anything, but it certainly wasn't as nice as Wes's extravagant cottage. Blaine almost half expected to see butlers dressed in tuxedo's to come out when they arrived.

Wes's finger pointed to the water, where a girl was swimming around. She was pretty far out in the water, so Blaine couldn't really make out her face, but from what he could tell, she had long dark hair, tall limbs and tanned skin, a little more tanned that Blaine himself. The girl was clad in a bright red string bikini that was tight around her hips and chest area. She swam about in the water, splashing around with some other people that looked around the same age as her. Blaine assumed that she was swimming with her friends, because they didn't look related to her at all.

"Look's like she brought friends," Wes said. "She only came here once with her parents, and that was a long time ago."

"Should we go say hello?" suggested Nick. "I mean, we're going to be here for a while, and it'd be pretty awkward if we saw each other every day and didn't introduce ourselves."

"Why not?" Wes said. "We might as well. It'd be nice to not be here completely on our own this summer."

The boys went to go retrieve their shoes by the door.

"So, you've never talked to this girl, ever?" Blaine asked Wes as they tied their shoe laces up.

"Nope," Wes replied. "I don't remember exactly, but when they were here a few years ago, they used to have this mail box with their last name carved into the side of it. I'm pretty sure it was Lopez, but I can't know one hundred percent."

"We'll find out when we get there," Blaine said. He liked meeting new people. Dalton Academy was very organized and balanced with not many different types of people going there. It'd be nice to maybe make some new friends, and since it was the summer time, there'd be plenty of things to do to keep him occupied. Blaine headed out the door, a wall of heat hitting his body as he followed his friends outside into the grass.

Blaine Anderson thought summer romances were boring, however he was about to experience the most incredible romance of his life.


	3. Meet And Greet

"Don't throw the ball in the water, Puckerman! I'm not swimming out to get it!"

"Aw come on, that's all part of the fun!"

"What if there are man-eating sharks in the water?"

"Britt, there aren't any sharks. It's a lake, not an ocean."

"Oh, yeah."

It was the perfect summer day, and the best part was, it was only the beginning of vacation for all students. The New Directions, a small but talented glee club from McKinley high were enjoying the sunny weather at their friend Santana Lopez's summer cottage. Santana's parents allowed her to stay at her family's cottage in a quiet area called Eliot Park, a place some people went to escape for a few weeks during the summer. Six weeks were all Santana had to herself, and she invited her friends from the glee club to come and enjoy the break with her.

The friends swam about in the cool lake water, splashing each other and dunking their heads underneath. Except for two boys in particular boy that did not go swimming. One of them was Artie Abrams, a boy who couldn't go inside the water anyway due to his unusable legs, but even he was able to get a little close to the water and in the sun. The other boy, however, sat near the dock where some shade from a large tree was able to stretch over and cover him from the sun's bright rays.

"Get in here, Hummel!" called Mercedes. "You're missing out on the fun!"

"No way," Kurt scowled back, pulling his knees up to his chest. "You know I don't swim, and the sun does horrible things to my skin."

"Wimp!" Puck teased.

"Am not," Kurt huffed. "I'm just not a water person."

"Come on," Finn said after coming up out of the lake. "Even Rachel's getting in the water, and she never does anything fun!"

"I heard that!" Rachel called from across the water.

"Hey, who's that?" Sam asked, pointing to something. Approaching to the lake were five, young boys dressed in casual summer wear.

Santana squinted, trying to look at the boys better. "I dunno. Probably the kid that lives next door."

"You mean in that big ass house?" Mercedes nodded over to the huge, white house on top of the rocky hill.

"Yeah, probably," Santana replied, who was now giving Brittany a piggy back in the water. "One of those kids came here once. I don't even know who he is, though."

"Well, he's coming this way," said Mike, "Along with some other kids."

Kurt looked up to see what everyone was fussing about. Some people were coming over, some people who had not come with the New Directions. Kurt lifted up his sunglasses onto his head, his sensitive eyes squinting when the sun rays shined into them. He uncrossed his legs, standing up on the doc and stretching out his limbs. Kurt was only eighteen, and he looked both younger and older at the same time. He could either get mistaken for fifteen or twenty. Kurt was a rather unusual boy, who didn't normally do the stereotypical things boys did. But he was sweet, with a good and understanding heart. Even if not many people saw it and bullied him for it instead.

Kurt was going to be heading off to college when the summer vacation was done. He'd made it into NYADA with his friend Rachel, an arts school in New York City. Kurt had only been to New York once, but he knew right away that that's where he wanted to be. He had huge dreams to someday be on Broadway, performing on a huge stage for millions to see. That was Kurt's dream. He'd do anything it took to pursue it.

Santana swam to the shore, grabbing a towel lying on the grass and slipping her flip flops on. She spotted the boys getting closer to their campus, and even though Santana was most definitely a lesbian, she smiled flirtatiously at the boys.

"She's sorta hot," David whispered into Blaine's ear, and Blaine gave an _are-you-serious-right-now _face, slapping David in the arm.

"Oh please," Blaine snorted. "My gay-dar is off the charts with this girl. Did you see how she was in the water with the blonde one?"

David chuckled, as Wes waved his hand to the girl standing before them.

"We've met," Wes smiled.

"Not quite," Santana replied, flashing a grin back at Wes. "But I've seen you around. You know, like, nine years ago."

"I'm Wes," Wes explained, "These are my friends."

"Santana," she replied, straining her dark hair like a wet towel to empty some water still soaked in it. "I've never seen your cute friends before."

"This is the first time we've been to Eliot Park together," Nick said. "It's nice here."

"If you're a dragon fly, sure," Santana teased. "But there's nothing else to do this summer. Lima has seriously gone to the dogs."

"You're from Lima?" asked Jeff. "We're from Westerville."

Santana eyed the boys for a minute, her eyes scanning the features of the people in front of her, and then, something went off in her mind like a lightbulb and she snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah! I know who you guys are. I though you looked a little familiar. You're those guys from the glee club at Dalton Academy. What was it, the peacocks?"

"Warblers," Blaine corrected. Santana shrugged.

"Same thing. Anyway, what brings you boys down here?"

"Same reason you're down here. We thought since we're going to be down here for a while, we might as well, you know, get well acquainted."

Santana gave a mischievous grin. "You want to hang out? With us? You sure you're going to able to handle us?"

"What is that supposed to mean, exactly?" Wes cocked his head.

"I'm warning you, we're pretty dramatic at times. Don't ever get into any drinking games with us, because Britt and I will have you all passed out faster than you can say Lima."

Wes smiled back at her now, extending his hand. "You're on."

"Fantastic," Santana shook Wes's hand, and then the rest of the boys' hands. "I don't know about all of you, but I'm going back in the water. I needz to be working on my tan pronto. I suggest you try and talk to everyone else before you play any water polo with them. It's not everyday we have a few Warblers swimming with us."

Blaine chuckled to himself. He wondered if he was going to make it back to Westerville alive if this girl Santana was telling the truth about her so-called wild group of friends. Oh, who was he kidding? They were just a bunch of teenagers. Nothing bad was going to happen.

Just then, a round, sobbing wet football flew out of the water and hit Blaine square in the back of the head.

"Sorry, man!" a blonde kid from in the pool called, waving his arms in an apology.

"It's alright," Blaine yelled back, picking up the ball and tossing in back into the lake with a splash. He rubbed the back of his curly haired-head. The blow from the ball didn't hurt Blaine, however it did scare the hell out of him. He didn't even notice his sunglasses fly off of his head and hit the grass until a high-pitched, soothing voice came from behind him.

"Excuse me? I think you dropped these."


	4. Kurt

"Excuse me? I think you dropped these."

Blaine turned around at the sound of the voice coming from behind him. He froze in his tracks when he found that he was face-to-face with probably the hottest boy he'd ever seen in his life. More than hot, even. Gorgeous. A tall, young man standing before Blaine with eyes like the sea and flawless ivory skin. The boy held out Blaine's sunglasses in between his long fingers, smiling the smallest of smiles when Blaine faced him.

"Oh," Blaine snapped out of his blank state, "Thank you."

He reached out to retrieve his sunglasses, grinning like an idiot at the still-nameless boy, who, Blaine might add, was not hard to look at. Not at all.

"No problem," said the boy. "Um, are you staying at that house over there?"

He pointed to something behind Blaine, and Blaine turned around to look at Wes's white house perched on top of the rocky hill. It still looked humungous, even from afar.

"Yes, I am," Blaine explained. "I guess this means we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

The boy smiled. "I'm Kurt."

"Blaine. Nice to meet you, Kurt."

You know when you see your celebrity crush in a magazine? Or when you go to the supermarket and spot an incredibly attractive person, so attractive that it makes you squeal and say _"Oh my god! He is sooo cute! Did you check out his ass?"_ to your friends? That was pretty normal. It happened to everyone, even the people who hated to admit it the most. Let's all face it: the puberty fairy isn't so kind to some people, but to others, it most certainly is. Blaine was a teenage boy. He was allowed to think other boys were cute, even if some didn't approve of the action. He was almost blinded by this kid's radiance, his elegance etched into his features, his vibrant eyes.

Kurt, on the other hand...well, he was pretty speechless as well. Blaine had one of the most charming smiles he'd ever seen, with raven curls on top of his head, tanned skin and eyes that reminded Kurt of a sunset. He'd had crushes on boy's before, sure, but he had to admit, none of them were as good-looking as Blaine was. Kurt wanted to punch himself in the face for almost blushing.

"How long are you here for, Kurt?" asked Blaine.

"Only six weeks," Kurt sighed. "My friend-well, occasional friend when we're not being bitches to each other- Santana, she invited me down here. I usually hate anything that has to do with outdoors and swimming and getting dirty," Kurt shuddered, and Blaine laughed. "But I had nothing else to do, and it's my last summer with them before college."

"Me, too," Blaine said. "Where did you graduate from?"

"McKinley. Probably the worst, most filthy and unfashionable school in the history of the state of Ohio. Where did you graduate from?"

"Dalton Academy," Blaine replied. "It's an all boys private school. It's not very filthy at all, but you can get lost easily."

"I've heard of it. I was supposed to transfer there in my junior year."

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "Really? What a small world."

"Very," Kurt smiled, smoothing down the thin fabric of his shot sleeved, blue-striped t-shirt. Blaine swallowed, tearing his eyes away from Kurt's lean torso.

"Hey, guys," a voice interrupted them. The boys turned around and saw Wes walking towards them.

"We're having a bonfire at eight," Puck said, drying himself off with a white towel laying in the grass. "You guys can be there, if you want."

"Isn't it too hot for a bonfire?" asked David, flicking some grass into Nick's face.

"Nah, it get's kind of chilly down here in the night sometimes. Besides, when the heat starts kicking in, there's always skinny dipping!"

"Not a good first impression, Noah," Rachel smacked his arm. "And that made you sound really, really gay."

"I meant skinny dipping with the ladies," Puck shrugged. "And besides, I do what I can to represent my boy Hummel. He needs some lovin', too."

Blaine noticed that Kurt began to blush so furiously that he thought his face would turn into a different color permanently.

"Not appropriate right now, Puckerman," Kurt hissed.

Blaine was about to open his mouth and say something, probably to say something about homosexuality and how _hey! Is your last name Hummel? You're gay? So am I! Isn't it a coincidence? We're like an endangered species in Ohio!_ When once again, he was interrupted.

"You boys can come if you want," Santana wrapped a blue towel around her waist. "Bring your voices, too. We have jam sessions all the time, and if you say you're from the warbler's or whatever, then we'd like to hear what you can do."

"Is that a challenge?" asked Wes, grinning like a comic book villain.

"Maybe," Santana winked.

"You two have made so many bets so far," Jeff rolled his eyes. "I won't be surprised if we're all dead by the end of the summer."

"Don't say that stuff, man!" Nick said. "It'll get jinxed. We'll be dead for sure if you say it."

"Anyway," Rachel cut in, "It would be so incredibly wonderful to have you boys over for our bonfire tonight."

The short girl's voice reminded Blaine of a Disney princess, a small one who liked to smile a lot.

"Cool, we'll be there, then," Wes nodded in approval. "We should head back, then. We still have a lot to unpack and all that, so we'll see you around at eight?"

"Same day, same place," Puck waved his hand in a _see-ya-later_ gesture as he went back to join his friends in the lake.

"Till then," the boys started to walk back up towards the white cottage when Blaine turned back to Kurt, opening his mouth to say something.

"We can play twenty questions later," Kurt grinned. "I think you'd better go get comfortable, first."

"Right," Blaine said. "I guess I'll...go do that, then. See you later."

"Bye."

The boys smiled at each other very quickly before turning around and heading their separate ways. Kurt never knew that a smile could make someone feel this giddy.


	5. Bonfire

_HEY! Did everyone see the Michael Episode of glee last night! How fucking awesome was that! All the numbers were great, Smooth Criminal and Human Nature were my favorite! And my heart nearly shattered when Blaine jumped in front of the slushy that was meant for Kurt! He is such a gentleman and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to just sit down and shut up. I really really loved that episode, so many cool things were going on and I just wanted to dance :D I'm very upset that the Warbler's would help Sebastian throw a slushy at Kurt even though he was a Warbler last year. My respect for the Warbler's have dropped greatly. But I was SO happy when Kurt and Rachel got their NYADA letters! I really hope they both get farther than finalists and hopefully go to the school. That scene with Burt and Kurt was just too beautiful! It reminded me of the time when my mom and I opened my high school letter together, because I had to audition for a special arts high school in which I got in, and my mom and I hugged and screamed like Kurt and Burt, hahaha (: Anyway enjoy the chapter._

Getting settled in Wes's cottage was a lot quicker than Blaine had expected it to be. The boys finished their unpacking, changed into some fresh clothing and explored some more of the huge house big enough for circus animals to live in. The day went by rapidly, the sun just starting to fall down under the horizon as it casted a pinkish-yellow glow in the sky. The warm air hadn't changed much, except Blaine feared that now at night, all the mosquitos would be in full bloom. However, Blaine was excited to be going to the bonfire provided by their next door neighbors. Mostly because, he would get to hopefully talk to Kurt again.

His conversation with Kurt earlier had been brief and had as little detail as possible. It was true that Blaine didn't know much about Kurt at all, but he couldn't help feeling a certain weak attraction to him when he first saw him. Blaine flushed in private, trying not to get too attached to someone right away without even getting to know them first. Now he knew how a teenage girl felt.

There was a knock on the door, startling Blaine in his room as he sat on his pillowy bed. The door opened, and there was Jeff, standing in his fresh t-shirt with his sunglasses hidden in his blonde hair.

"C'mon, Blaine," Jeff said. "We're just about ready to go."

Blaine nodded, swinging his somewhat short legs over the edge of the bed and walking downstairs where his friends were putting their shoes on.

"Is this even a good idea?" asked Nick. "We don't even know these people."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Wes shrugged. "They're not going to murder us or anything. Besides, if we're going to stay here for the summer, we might as well get to know them."

"It'd be really awkward if we went out and they were there next to us," David added. "Imagine we went swimming or something, and then they were in there with us? That's creepy. And weird."

"I don't even like to swim," Nick complained.

"Because you can only dog paddle," Jeff snorted, and Nick punched him in the arm.

The sun was almost out of the sky at that point, and the chirping of crickets and buzzing of dragonfly's had began to create a quiet song over the lake. Blaine was glad that the heat hadn't completely disappeared, because he'd only packed one sweater with him.

The boys started to walk out the door, their eyes catching sight of a small, orange flicker a few yards away. The closer they got, Blaine realized that it was a little camp fire surrounded by benches that formed a crooked circle. There were dark figures sitting on the benches, noisily talking away. Santana, the girl Wes talked to earlier, turned around and walked up to them.

"You actually came," Santana said. "We were actually betting that you guys weren't going to show up."

"Why's that?" Wes asked, preparing for some witty response.

"Because we thought we could have scared you off," Santana grinned.

"Oh please," Wes rolled his eyes. "There's nothing scary about you guys."

"Well, come on then," Santana gestured to the circle of benches surrounding the fire. "Let's all join hands and sing crappy camp songs so we can get along."

Blaine padded across the grass, recognizing some of the teenagers he'd seen splashing around in the water earlier. He nervously looked around, not quite knowing where to sit. Until, of course, he spotted a boy sitting on one of the benches next to a short brunette girl, his legs swinging over the wood and his pale skin reflecting the glow of the fire. He recognized the girl laughing with Kurt as a girl he'd seen earlier, one who came to talk to him and his friends. Blaine swallowed, licked his lips, and began to walk forward to the bench.

"Mind if I sit here?" Blaine asked from behind Kurt and the brunette girl. Kurt looked up, tearing himself away from the conversation he was having, and he smiled.

"Hello again," Kurt greeted. "Sit right here."

Kurt moved his thin, designer sweater from off the bench and Blaine tentatively sat down next to him. Kurt turned his head over and beamed.

"Blaine, right?" he asked.

Blaine nodded. "You got it. And you're Kurt."

"See? I told you we'd continue twenty questions later."

"I actually didn't think you were serious."

"Why not?"

"Because twenty questions is literally the most elementary school game there is."

Kurt laughed. "Well, maybe it doesn't need to be twenty questions. It could be more of a, 'hey, what's up, how are you' kind of game. Oh, and this is Rachel, by the way."

A smiling female face poked out from the other side of Kurt at the sound of her name. "You made a new friend awfully fast, Kurt. I'm Rachel Berry, soon-to-be-broadway legend."

Blaine smiled. "My name's Blaine. Nice meeting you."

Puck returned to the circle then, carrying a small black case that Blaine recognized right away.

"Is that your guitar?" he asked, pointing to Puck's case. Puck nodded.

"Yeah, man. Do you play?"

"Yes," Blaine replied in a chipper voice. "Mine is back inside our house."

"You should have brought it out," said Puck. "We do corny shit like this all the time. Singing, I mean."

"We know you know what that's like," Santana gave a grin with the tilt of her head.

Blaine directed his attention back to Kurt, who, to his surprise, was looking right at him the second he turned his head. He was struck by those blue eyes that shone even in the dark night sky and the dim light from the fire.

"So, Blaine," Kurt said. "I understand you're in the Warblers?"

"Was," Blaine corrected "Was. We're graduating."

"Oh, right. I almost forgot. I'm seriously so excited to graduate."

"We got into NYADA!" Rachel called from the other side of Kurt, who was smiling widely.

"NYADA?" Blaine asked.

"New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts," Kurt explained. "Rachel and I had to send in a long ass application that took us a couple of months to prepare, and when we got letters saying we were finalists, we actually had to go to a real audition with singing and everything. So that's where we're going for college."

"Impressive," Blaine nodded. "That's really exciting. I'm not going anywhere fancy for college, but I'd love you go to New York. It's really great there!"

"Yeah, you can never get bored there," Rachel said. "One day you'll see this face up on a billboard in Times Square, so consider yourself lucky."

"Yeah, we'll see that giant beak of a nose blocking the whole city," Santana joked, not trying to be mean but still sounding bitchy, as that was apart of her personality. Rachel just glared at her. Blaine suddenly felt bad for Rachel.

"Don't worry," Kurt said, noticing Blaine's unsureness towards the two girls. "This happens all the time. It's normal. I get called Porcelain and doll-face like, six times in one day."

Blaine laughed out loud this time. "That's pretty mean. But I like it."

"Yes, yes, my face is very much amusing to insult. They should write a musical on it," Kurt muttered sarcastically.

"Play something, man!" Finn yelled to Puck. His arm was around Rachel, and Blaine thought it made them look like Finn's giant body was almost consuming the small girl. But they looked perfectly happy anyway.

"What should I play?" Puck asked, not looking up from the strings as he tuned them.

"Don't you guys have like, a repertoire of songs or something?" Wes asked. "You are a glee club, after all."

"What about you?" questioned Mercedes, who was crossing her arms.

"We're an acapella show choir, remember? It would sound so weird if we broke out into song without any instruments. Might scare the birds off."

They chuckled then. "Speaking of which, did you know Blaine here was our lead Warbler?"

"Really?" asked Kurt. "I want to hear you sing!"

"Me too!" Random members of the ND started to call out, and Blaine snorted, his obvious and slightly flattered smile showing.

"Hey now, hey now," Blaine held his hands up. "I thought we were going to sing with the guitar?"

Puck began to mindlessly strum his guitar in a tune everyone recognized. They'd sung this song in glee club before, and the Warbler's knew this song anyway because of it's popularity.

"He's right," Puck said, still playing the instrument in his lap. "I didn't bring this baby out for nothing."

Puck began to sing.

Where it began, I can't begin to knowing

But then I know it's growing strong

Was in the spring,

And spring became the summer

Who'd believe you'd come along

Kurt and Blaine looked at each other then, slightly flushing but smiling when their eyes met. The teenagers of all sorts sitting around the fire began to sway to the soft guitar, pretending to dance and move around like the silly kids they were. Everyone joined in on the chorus, some actually trying to sing (like Rachel, Mercedes and Kurt) and the rest just being loud and trying to create echoes that would resound over the lake.

Hands, touching hands, reaching out

Touching me, touching you

Oh, sweet Caroline

Good times never seem so good

I've been inclined to believe it never would

Oh, sweet Caroline

Good times never seem so good

I've been inclined to believe it never would oooh oh no no..

Puck strummed his guitar like he was a rockstar, dramatically making sounds with it while everyone cheered. It seemed like a scene out of a corny movie about summer and drama and fun, and it felt like one, too.

Blaine realized that it was the first time he ever heard Kurt sing. Despite Kurt's high voice, he changed the pitch of his voice to make it sound deeper. It came to Blaine's realization that Kurt was a counter tenor, something that Dalton hadn't had in their show choir for a very long time. Blaine smiled, and was about to speak, when Kurt beat him to it.

"You have a beautiful vice," Kurt almost whispered, staring deeply into Blaine's eyes that were nearly the same color as the fire.

"Thank you," Blaine replied, gazing right back, not even scared to fall into Kurt's stare. "So do you."

"Seriously, though," Kurt smiled sweetly. "It's a voice I would kill for."

Blaine didn't even know what to say anymore. He was lost with words, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish, when a voice cut in.

"You guys seem to be getting comfortable," Santana winked flirtatiously.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Santana."

It was nearly morning by the time the group finished jamming away and causing ruckus at this hour, so, spent and groggy, everyone decided to go to sleep back at their own respected homes. "Wouldn't want anyone sleeping together on our first night, now would we?" Santana would make jokes like these.

"Well, goodnight, folks," Wes waved to the group as he stood up from the bench. "Thanks for the fire."

"Will we see you tomorrow?" asked Rachel.

"Probably. We'll be outside most of the day, so I don't see why not."

"Great, then. Sleep to your hearts content and dream whatever it is Warbler's like to dream about," Santana pulled her sweater on and headed up towards her cottage, the mosquito lantern flickering on and off slightly because of how old it was.

Kurt and Blaine stood side by side, a little awkwardly but not in a bad way. More in the nervous, I-had-a-fun-time-talking-to-you way.

"Well, goodnight Kurt," Blaine said kindly. "It was nice talking to you."

"You too, Blaine," Kurt beamed. "And before you go...can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Blaine replied, curious at the slight change in Kurt's voice from friendly to wonder.

"Please correct me if I'm wrong, but are you, by any chance...um, gay?"

Blaine chuckled, and Kurt looked down at his feet, clearly embarrassed.

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine said, realizing he made Kurt feel ashamed. "You don't have to worry. I am, actually."

Kurt's head snapped up.

"I'm assuming you are, as well?" asked Blaine, and Kurt nodded.

"Fantastical!" Blaine exclaimed in a stereotypical gay voice, making Kurt's body shake with laughter. "What gave it away?"

"Nothing," Kurt replied. "I could just...feel it."

They stared at each other, the atmosphere shifting into a more mellow and more-than-friendly vibe. But the boys snapped out of it quickly.

"Well then, I'm interring that we'll be the best of friends," Kurt smiled.

"The best," Blaine agreed.

"Um, anyway," Kurt held his hand out, waiting for Blaine to shake it. "Goodnight, Blaine."

"See you later, Kurt."

Blaine watched after Kurt as he made his way up to Santana's house, his eyes tracing over the muscles of Kurt's back. He had to suck in his lips and swallow a large amount of liquid that formed in his mouth because of watching Kurt, when he heard his friends.

"Blaine! Hurry up!" Blaine turned his head and sprinted over to his friends, back to the white house.


	6. A Blossoming Companionship

_Happy Belated Birthday, Darren Criss! You're now a quarter of a century! (How To Succeed reference :D) I love that amazing little man and I know he'll do great things in 2012 (: Did everyone hear the spoilers about Matt Bomer being Blaine's older bro? Crazy, right? Also, I saw The Woman In Black on opening night...that's some scary shit! However Dan's acting is fantastic, I love him (:_

The double bed that Blaine got to sleep in at was the most blissful thing he'd probably ever done in his life. It felt like the thick mattresses were made out of clouds and sunshine and marshmallows all at once. Blaine's bed back at home wasn't nearly as comfortable as this one. He began to question just how rich Wes's parents really were. Not all students who went to Dalton has mansions and fast cars, however, Wes certainly seemed to fit into the stereotype.

Tossing and turning with a stupid, weary grin stretched on his face, he buried his face into his pillows and thought about the day before. Blaine really enjoyed getting to know his new neighbors. And by new neighbors, he meant Kurt.

He wasn't trying to sound tasteless towards the rest of the group or anything. But Kurt had obviously appealed to Blaine the most. Not just because he was a striking, prepossessing teenage boy who liked to sing and was also attracted to boys in the way Blaine was, but... well, actually, that was a pretty big reason as to why he'd hit it off with Kurt first.

Rolling onto his stomach, Blaine breathed in the sweet aroma of apple laundry detergent that still lingered on the pillows and covers. Not really wanting to wake up, he knew the boys would come bursting in sooner or later, so he swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up. The ringlety hair stood up in all sorts of places on Blaine's head, but he ignored them as he padded his way across the room to his drawers. Blaine eyed his clothing carefully, as if pondering what type of clothes he was going to wear when he was out in the middle of a forest where the only thing that could possibly care about his choice of clothing was a mosquito, ready to suck his insides out.

Eventually, Blaine ended up picking out a pair of shorts, a short-sleeved plaid button down and a slim bow tie. But looking in the mirror, Blaine thought the bow tie looked pretty ridiculous for the summer time, so he took it off his neck and flung it back inside his drawer, closing it shut and heading downstairs.

There was a lot of noise coming from the kitchen, and Blaine had just enough time to duck and hit the ground before an orange was tossed in his direction.

"Making pancakes?" Blaine muttered from the floor.

"Yep!" David burst out laughing as he threw some raspberries at Nick, who was shielding himself from the petite fruits.

"Why would you guys be having a food fight this early in the morning?" Blaine sighed, getting up from the floor. "it's only-oh."

"Yeah, _oh_ is right," Wes came into the kitchen. Blaine had looked over to the clock and saw that it wasn't actually early in the morning- quite the contrary. It was about 12:56 pm, the sun in plain sight and the water from the lake outside glistening brightly.

"Jesus!" Wes rolled his eyes, raising his voice. "Can you two children please have a food fight else wear? I don't want it to look like we murdered a farmer's market all over the place. This is out home for the next seven weeks."

"And two days!" Jeff yelled from another room.

Nick's face was completely covered in whipped cream now, his face coated with the thick paste.

"I thought you couldn't get any whiter, buddy," David noted, almost as if he was stating a fact rather than making a joke. "You look like that kid we saw yesterday!"

"Kurt is not that white," Blaine said, a little annoyed. He went over to the pan sitting on the stove, which now contained burning batter. "Nick looks like a ghost. Ew, what were you guys putting in these pancakes? Arsenic?"

"Oh my god, do you like him? You like him! I can see it on your charming little face, Blaine Anderson," David was really laughing hard by this point.

"I don't even know him, asshole," Blaine said, not looking up from the pancakes in the pan that he was unsuccessfully trying to renovate. Even though Blaine was clearly pissed off by his friend's obnoxious assumptions about him liking Kurt, he was smirking.

"Doesn't matter," David shrugged, beginning to clean up some berries that were broadcast upon the tiled floor. "Romeo and Juliet got it on the minute they met. Remember when we read it in english class? I'm almost certain that Mr. Lawrence was getting a hard on when he was reading it to us."

"Nasty," Wes shot a look of horror. "How do you know this, David?"

"I just do," David winked.

"Ew, ew, EW, stop talking about this," Blaine chuckled, flipping over the pancake.

"Whatever you say, prince charming," David wiggled his eyebrows and got out of the room just before Blaine had enough time to launch the steaming hot pancake at his friend.

After breakfast, or really, brunch, the boys cleaned up the kitchen, got ready and headed outside. Of course, just like yesterday, there were the New Directions, goofing around in the water.

"Look! It's the canaries!" Mercedes shouted from the dock, pointing her finger towards the boys.

"Warblers! How many times do we need to tell you people! Write it down if you need to!" Wes hollered back.

"Are you coming swimming?" asked Brittany, a blonde girl clad in a bright green bikini, who asked something about dolphins to Blaine yesterday. This, of course, left him utterly confused.

"Why not?" David shrugged, and not even bothering to take his shirt off, she jumped into the lake water.

"You're an idiot!" Jeff shook his head.

"At least I got my swim trunks on, bro," David dunked under the water and spat a mouthful of water at his friends.

"Can't be tamed!" Santana giggled as Brittany hopped onto her back.

Blaine's attention was caught off guard when he heard a faint chuckling coming from somewhere on the dock. His eyes looked over, his eyes narrowing when they were faced towards the sun. He smiled, watching as three girls swam up to where Kurt was sitting, beckoning him to come into the water.

"No!" Kurt shoved the many hands away, which were trying to pull him into the water. "No way on your life."

"Come on, Kurt!" Tina said. "It's so much fun!"

"You all know I hate water," Kurt gave a look.

"Rachel doesn't like the water either," Mercedes noted. "But look at her, boo! She ended up jumping in anyway."

The girls continued squawking away like a trio of multicolored birds, each of them awfully chipper as they bounced around in the water, the buoyancy keeping them from sinking as they encouraged the stubborn boy to come into the water with them.

"I will cut each and every one of you with a nail clipper if you come any closer to me," Kurt threatened, almost sounding serious. Finally, the girls swam away and left Kurt alone to watch on the dock as Blaine approached from behind.

"Can't swim?" he asked, and Kurt's head turned around.

"Do you have a thing for sneaking up on me?" Kurt answered Blaine's question with another question. He gave a teasing smirk towards Blaine as he moved and sat down on the dock next to him.

"Maybe," Blaine shrugged. "There's a lot of people who are into a lot of more messed up things."

"Are you saying that sneaking up on me is a fetish of yours, Blaine?"

"Be lucky _my_ fetish isn't anything that has to do with worshipping uncharted areas on the body."

Kurt bubbled with laughter. This was a pretty peculiar conversation to be having, but neither of them minded.

"How was your night?" Blaine said.

"It was alright. I wanted to get to sleep earlier than usual, but Puck took out some wine coolers and Rachel couldn't stop screaming, "IT TASTES LIKE PINK!" over and over."

"At least you didn't wake up trying to dodge oranges in an attempt to protect yourself from a food fight," Blaine added. Kurt laughed again.

"I seem to be good at amusing you," Blaine said. "I'm glad."

"I am amused by a lot of things that you wouldn't think could amuse anyone," Kurt explained, and then paused, his lips clamping into a straight line. "Oh. Um, that came out really wrong. And dirty. Please don't mind that."

Now it was Blaine's turn to chuckle. "Don't worry. It happens to everyone."

"You make it sound like I wet the bed or something."

"Well...that's happened to everyone, too."

"Right you are, sir."

Having a conversation with Kurt was so easy, so natural. It wasn't hard to pick a subject while chatting with him, because really, talking about nothing, and nonsense was the ideal topic.

"So, Kurt," Blaine said after a while, "How are you liking it here so far."

Kurt gazed out at the lake for a second, the sun in the sky highlighting the ripples in the water, before he spoke. "it's a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I don't normally do things like this. Not an outdoor person. What about you?"

"I like being outside," Blaine shrugged. "Especially when I write music and stuff."

"Oh, you write music?" Kurt looked a little surprised.

"You sound taken aback," Blaine smiled.

"I am. I mean, not in a bad way. That's pretty cool how you can understand music enough to create it."

"You've never written any songs?"

"No...like, I've fooled around with the piano a few times, but I've never seriously considered mapping out a song. People will do that for me when I'm on Broadway," Kurt added with a wink.

Blaine laughed. "I'll be there opening night, front row."

"Blaine..." Kurt trailed off.

"Anderson," Blaine aided.

"Yes. Well. Blaine Anderson, while I appreciate the gesture of you supporting my every endeavor that I will face on my journey to Broadway, let me just say, that you do not even know me."

Blaine turned his head to Kurt, staring at his sideway profile and noticing the brush of his blinking eyelashes, the light blowing in his hair, the electric blue orbs of his iris's. Kurt Hummel seemed to define beauty in a whole different way that most people wouldn't expect to find elegance in. Blaine knew it was sort of weird to be calling another male "beautiful" instead of handsome or hot or whatever. When you watch a romance movie, the woman never calls the man "a beauty" or "exquisite." But Kurt was beautiful. That's just what he was.

"I'd like to," Blaine almost sounded mute. So he cleared his throat and tried again. "I'd like to."

Kurt turned his face so that it wasn't facing the sun anymore, but towards Blaine. "Would you?"

"Sure," Blaine said. "I wouldn't mind making some friends this summer."

"Cool," Kurt smiled with only the corner of his mouth, "Welcome to the world of Kurt Hummel, Blaine."

He held out his hand for Blaine to shake, but when he did, Kurt pulled away. "What are you doing?"

Blaine looked puzzled. "...I'm shaking your hand...?"

"No you're not," Kurt said. "We're doing the gay handshake."

"What's the gay handshake?" Blaine's face looked totally stumped now.

"You don't know the gay handshake?" Kurt mock-gasped and his hand flew over his heart in a great exaggeration.

Blaine just stared at him for the millionth time while Kurt shook his head. "I have so much to teach you."

"About homosexuals and their secret, personal ways of greeting each other?" Blaine joked.

"About me," Kurt clarified with a tilt of his head.

_Hey everyone! Just another quick AN before I leave you with this chapter...I know it;s really boring right now, and I usually plan my stories out before I write them, which I have with this one. But I'm sort of just making up some of the minor details as I go along. I'm really sorry if it's boring you all so far! I know that a lot of people have added this story to their alert subscriptions and favorites, but I have a feeling this is going to be my most unsuccessful story. That's okay with me, but if you don't like it, I won't feel offended if you choose not to read it anymore :) But just note that this is only the beginning! I still have some more dramatic, funny, romantic, angsty, and even some heated scenes that are on the way. ;)_


	7. Tipsy

_Hi faithful readers (: Has anyone ever read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green? He is one of my absolute most favorite authors of all time, probably my most preferred author after J.K Rowling. I've read every book ever written by him, his work is really amazing (: Anyway, I highly recommend The Fault In Our Stars, it's a really funny but really sad book! I finished it in the middle of my french class and I nearly started crying (': I actually got a SIGNED copy from him! I was walking around in a Chapters and I spotted the book with a "signed copy" sticker on it, so I grabbed it and asked the woman at the counter if he'd really signed it. She was like, "Oh yeah, he was here a few days ago in this store and I believe this is the only copy he signed!" CAN YOU BELIEVE I FOUND THE ONLY SIGNED COPY IN THE STORE? What the hell was John Green's flawless self doing in Mississauga, of all places? I was so happy I started crying, because I love John Green! Are there any nerdfighters or fans of John's book out there? Please let me know so we can freak out! (:_

To say that Blaine's summer was going well was a bit of an understatement, because it was actually going more than just well.

One week had gone by since arriving at Eliot Park. A lot had changed since then. Of course, if you were thinking of changing physically, then no, it wasn't like that. The quiet, small, baby of a forest looked just as it had since the arrival of the teen boys who temporarily lived in the white cottage. There were still the tall, leafy trees, the same beat up-tire swing that was tied to the tree closest to the lake, the same wooden house next to the white cottage where another group of misfit teenagers who liked to swim and sing at 3:30 in the morning slept. However, things had changed. Or at least, Blaine felt like he had.

This one week, these seven days had felt like seven years, almost. While the week did go by rather rapidly, there were plenty of things to do. And when you are neighbored next to the world's noisiest, spunkiest and least-uneventful bunch of teenagers to ever step foot on the planet, then there were _definitely_ plenty of things to do.

Nearly every night, there were bonfires, running around with a rubber football and jam sessions. It was almost routined, except no one really got bored of the patterns once they were repeated. Blaine never got tired of waking up every day in that giant cloud of a bed. He never got tired of looking out at the lake through the glass window while he munched on breakfast, never got tired of talking to Kurt Hummel on those late evenings about the past and future. He did, however, get a little tired of the juvenile food fights caused by his friends that he seemed to be baby-sitting in the morning. Simply put, it was a nice time away from home before having to go back to school.

Blaine's friendship with Kurt Hummel blossomed a little more everyday, each moment he talked to him. And he could say without lying, that he never felt more connected to another breathing person than Kurt. Kurt was the kind of person who was very witty and fierce. He could voice his opinions with well-worded sentences, some sentences that made you jerk your head back and say, _"What does that mean?" _Kurt could bite the head off of anyone who dared to insult him. But at the same time, Kurt was also the type of person who was gentle and cared a lot about how people felt. Blaine realized that Kurt was a rare type of person. He didn't want to idolize Kurt right away, because 1. He had just met Kurt, 2. Blaine had to remember that despite his high respects for Kurt, he didn't categorize him as a precious gem, because, 3. He was still a teenage boy with a future to pursue.

For some reason, Blaine felt a little tingle in his stomach whenever Kurt laughed or flicked his hair back or talked in complete sentences about world conflicts. But Blaine did not believe in summer romances, and of course, he didn't even know Kurt for a long enough time to even think about a relationship with him. Yes, he was very like-able for Blaine's standards, and had killer looks that had made him do a double-take. But no, Blaine didn't want a romance right now, not when he was about to go off to college in a few weeks.

One night at Santana's cottage made Blaine reconsider that thought.

The gorgeous Latina girl invited the boys over for a movie night. Of course, no one really watched any of the movies that were selected that night since movie night had turned into _freaking drinking game night. _Blaine wasn't a drinker. Or at least, not a repetitive one. He didn't get wasted every night, and when he did drink, it was usually either with a small group of friends or on New Years Eve in front of parental supervision. Blaine had gotten drunk a few times, once during a house party at Wes's and once when he went to a pretty behind-the-times gay bar called Scandals in west Lima, but that was it, really. Blaine was always being told countless embarrassing stories by the Warblers about him slurring his words into untrue, drunken statements and something to do with him jumping on furniture a lot. People do crazy shit when they're drunk.

When the boys had first arrived at Santana's door, knocking and waiting for it to open, Nick kept going on and on about how unsafe this was going to be.

"They are not grizzly bears," David waved his arm so that he was making claws with his fingers. "Do you think they're going to eat us or something? It's just a movie night, Nick. Calm yourself."

"I swear to god, that Santana chick can really throw a ball during water polo, though," Nick said. "If that ball comes back out and hits me in the face, don't be surprised if you see me leaving."

"Wimp," Jeff smirked. Nick pushed him in the arm playfully.

"Shut up, Sterling. At least I didn't go falling in love with anybody," Nick made a kissy face at Blaine.

"What are you guys talking about?" Blaine sighed. It sure did take Santana a long time to answer the door.

"About Kurt!" Wes piped. "You guys are so cute. Always sitting out and talking while everyone goes swimming or plays soccer. It makes me want to come over there and hug you guys."

"Then you have some serious issues, young man," Blaine chuckled. "But I'm not dating Kurt. He is my newly found friend who I enjoy talking to because he seems a hundred times more mature than the people who enjoy throwing banana's all over the kitchen in the morning."

David mock gasped and threw his hands up. "That is insulting. But people say stupid things when they're in love, so I don't blame you for hurting my feelings."

The boys made more kissy faces around a flushing Blaine when suddenly, the door swung open and there was Santana standing. She gave a confused look to the boys puckering their lips at their friend.

"Well, if y'all wanted to miss tonight for a wanky party instead, you could have just said so." Santana grinned and let the boys come into her cottage.

"Welcome to shack-a-la-Lopez," Santana swept her arm into the entry as the boys took their shoes off. "She's an old piece of crap, but I love her anyway."

Just one look could tell the boys that Wes obviously had a better summer house than Santana. It wasn't like her house was dirty and filthy, full of rodents with leaky pipes and unknown things that went bump in the night. Santana's house was just average. It was nothing special. Nothing like the houses that are advertised in magazines and on TV.

"So, we're coming out of here alive, right?" Wes asked, walking down the hallway that led to Santana's living room.

"Only if you want to," she replied.

"Isn't this just a movie night or something?" Blaine asked.

"Movies shall be played," Santana explained. "Of course, Puckerman brought like, two million bottles of booze with him, so I doubt any of the movies are actually going to be watched as long as you're pretty-boy asses are in here."

However, Blaine wasn't paying any attention to any of Santana's comments regarding his pretty-boy ass. Instead, he smiled as he walked into the homey living room, staring at Kurt, who was laughing with Brittany. Kurt sat on the couch, one of his jean clad legs propped up on a foot rest. The New Directions were scattered all over the room, some lying on their stomachs, some chatting away, some lounging across the two sofa's against the wall like lazy cats.

"Hey," some of them yelled when the boys entered the room.

"How y'all doing?" asked Wes.

"We're pretty bored," Quinn shrugged.

"Yeah, but hopefully some fun can start now that you guys are here!" Puck called out.

"I swear, everything you say makes you sound gay, Noah." Rachel rolled her big, brown eyes.

Kurt looked up from his conversation with Brittany, catching Blaine's eye, and giving a small smile of invitation. Blaine walked over to the empty seat next to Kurt's side, and he plopped down on the couch, making everyone else sitting on it bounce a little.

"Hi," Kurt said.

"Hi," Blaine replied. "How're you?"

"I'm alright. I have to agree with my fellow roomies, though...it is pretty boring right now."

"Well, what kind of movies do you guys have?"

Then, a laugh barged in on Kurt from answering Blaine's question. "Oh, c'mon guys, this isn't fourth grade. Movie nights? No thanks." Puck gave an incredulous look towards Blaine. "Didn't you hear Santana? Drinking games are really the only type of fun New Directions has to offer."

"Well..." Wes sighed.

"Do you guys not drink?" asked Sam.

"We do, sometimes," Wes continued. "But not often."

"Well, damn then!" Santana slammed her hand down on the coffee table in front of her, a mischievous smile spread on her face. "You can't be eighteen and not experience a drinking game without us. So basically, the rest of the world sucks and you Warbler's are pretty damn lucky that you are about to experience the best night of your lives."

"Uh oh," Blaine whispered to Kurt as Santana went on. "I smell heaps of trouble. And booze. And Advil in the morning."

"Ha," Kurt laughed sarcastically. "You don't even know half of it. Every time I get sucked into a drinking game with these animals, I end up next to a toilet seat all night."

Blaine patted Kurt's shoulder through his thin, long sleeve shirt. "Don't worry. I'll hold your bangs back, if that's what you need."

Kurt nudged Blaine playfully with his slightly broad shoulder. "Unless, you know, you end up in there with me."

"Oh, shameless flirting," Mercedes teased, pushing Kurt's knee with her purple-painted fingernails. Kurt flushed.

"Shut up, Mercedes," Kurt rolled his eyes, but then he proceeded to put one of his hands on Blaine's chest in a platonic gesture, giving Mercedes a seductive smile.

"You only say these things because we precious gay boys turn you on so much," Kurt whispered loudly, and Mercedes burst out in a fit of giggles. Even though Blaine knew Kurt was only kidding around, he did not want the hand on his chest to be moving away any time soon. He wished he could grab it and hold it to him for the rest of the night, but eventually, Kurt's hand retreated.

"It turns me on," Brittany said from the other side of Kurt in a monotone voice that almost sounded funny, given the sentence she'd spoken. "I don't mind watching two dolphins make out. Santana and I do it all the time. Is Blaine a dolphin, Kurt?"

"Yeah, he is," Kurt clarified, and Blaine just shook his head, smiling like he'd been let in on a private joke.

Santana and Puck left and came back into the room a few moments later, hauling in a huge, white cooler that clanked when it was moved around too harshly. Blaine had a pretty good idea as to what was inside the cooler, and he turned to Kurt, who was giving him a look that clearly read _Uh-oh_.

"What's wrong, Hummel?" Puck asked, setting down the cooler and snorting. "You look like you've never had a drink before. Do you not remember Rachel's party that sort of crashed and burned?"

Santana chortled, snapping open the cooler. "God, he was like a different person that night. I would have been ready to get my mack on with him if it wasn't for him passing out at the end."

"It's magnificent that you all find my un-sober-alter-ego self is and was amusing, but I'd like you all to shut the hell up now, because those stories are quite embarrassing," Kurt flared up.

"I must hear these stories some time!" Blaine whispered to Kurt. When Brittany overheard, she cut in, excitedly yapping loudly,

"Oh! I know lots of those stories! Once, there was this time when Kurt-"

"Okay people!" Puck boomed."Let the games begin!"

And indeed, the games had begun.

Blaine had never heard so much laughing, screaming and childish yells of joy in his life. Within the first hour of arriving at Santana' house, almost everyone was pretty much wasted. If one-brain-celled creatures who liked to randomly blurt out song lyrics and dance around the room in their underwear existed, they would be here. Blaine was not among the couples who had begun to make out and grope each other even though they were still in a public area, however he was among the teenagers who thought their vocal chords would explode from laughing too loudly. He was starting to feel a little tipsy, but his brain was still functioning properly. He hadn't forgotten his name yet, so that was a good sign.

In a matter of hours, Santana's living room floor was littered with empty wine-cooler, vodka and whiskey glass bottles. The television was on and was playing some random reality show on MTV, while a catchy pop song boomed from the speakers of Santana's stereo. Blaine was thankful that no other people were around, since the group was in the middle of the goddamn woods. They could be as loud as they wanted without having to worry about the police banging on the door, unless raccoons and squirrels hiding up in the trees counted as the police.

"Okay! Okay! Listen!" Rachel stood up, one of her knee socks slightly sagging down to her ankle as she yelled over the noise. "Let's play a new game!"

"Which one?" Sam asked, just finishing up one more bottle of whatever.

"Can we play the one where we lick each other's tummies again?" Brittany hiccuped. "I love that game. IT'S THE BEST!"

"We played that, like, five million times already!" Nick said, who was slightly drunker than Blaine himself. "And you've literally licked everyone in this room except for Blaine."

"'M good," Blaine waved his hand in front of a very flirtatious looking Brittany, who was now crawling towards him on her hands and knees. A few people wolf-whistled, but in the end, Brittany didn't end up lapping up sugar and lime off of Blaine's stomach, to his relief. He secretly blushed to himself when he imagined running his tongue along Kurt's skin, so he quickly erased the image from his mind and turned back to the spectacle.

"Truth or dare!" Santana called. "Truth or dare is always a solution to boredom at a party."

"If you're in sixth grade," Wes sighed, who now was lying on his back with a pillow over his face.

So far, Mike and Tina were off sucking each other's faces off in the corner of the room, Finn had his head on the carpet with his legs propped against the wall as he snored loudly, Mercedes was flipping through the channels on television while she belted out a Whitney Houston song, and the rest, well, were awake and alert.

Kurt sat cross legged next to Blaine so that his knee was just lightly brushing Blaine's knee. The boys were probably the ones laughing the loudest and longest out of everyone, even when a lame joke was made or when anything slightly humorous happened. It was like anything at all could set off the giggles with the boys.

"Well, sixth grade or not, truth or dare is the only thing that'll probably save us from fucking on each other," Santana shrugged. "SO. Let's turn the infamous middle school game into a drinking one."

"By doing what?" David laughed as he flicked some booze into Nick's hair, who began slapping his arm.

"By taking a shot every time someone says anything, duh," Puck's words were a little slurred thanks to the ten million gallons of alcohol he had consumed during the night. It sounded like someone had written down Puck's words down on a Q-card, smeared the card with paint and glue and glitter, and then someone tried to pronounce the mess of colors on the paper. Yeah, try doing that.

"Sounds good to me!" Kurt piped. "I still have a long way to go before I'm vomiting all over your carpet tonight, Santana."

"Oh, joy," Santana sarcastically muttered. "Anyway, who wants to start?"

"Oh, me! I do!" Rachel raised her hand like she was in a classroom, and waved it around with much enthusiasm.

"Okay, truth or dare?"

"No, I mean I wanted to be the one to ask truth or dare..."

"Well, you should have thought about that before, Berry. You can ask later. Now, truth or dare?"

"UGHH, fine. Okay, um, dare."

"Woah, I wasn't expecting a dare from little miss plaid-skirts-and-pigtails here. But alright, if you say so. Ummm," Santana thought out loud, "Okay, alright, I've got it. I dare you to give Jeff over there a lap dance."

Jeff's eyes snapped open at the sound of his name, becoming conscious of his name and the word 'lap dance' put into one sentence.

"What...?" a very juice Jeff said, "Why did I just hear my name laced into a sentence with a very sexual exploit?"

"You private school boys even sound all fancy even when you're drunk," Puck whined. "I can't imagine what it's like when you're sober. Oh, and Berry's gonna give you a lap dance."

Jeff raised his eyebrows. "I see. Well. That will be interesting."

"But I don't want to!" Rachel almost looked like she was going to cry, but Kurt and Blaine obviously knew it was from all the booze she gulped down. They were trying hard to stifle their laughter.

"Suck it up, baby," Santana grinned like a two faced-bitch having the best day of her life.

Rachel sighed, and from that moment on, probably the worst, most awkward and most incompetent lap dance to ever be performed in all of human history was occurring right there in a small living room. Some people, like Artie, Kurt, Wes, and Santana just watched in horror, and others, like Blaine, Nick, Puck, and Brittany were too absorbed in their laughter and tears to even notice how ridiculous Rachel looked.

"_What da hell_?" Artie held his hand up to cover his eyes, which his glasses were now sagging off of.

"It looks like you're riding a goddamn horse, Berry," Santana shuddered in disgust.

"A horse with three legs and who has epilepsy, maybe," Wes looked up at the ceiling to shield his eyes.

"I CAN'T BREATHE!" Puck managed to get out in furious fits of laughter. "I CAN'T FUCKING BREATHE! DAMN, GET IT, MY LITTLE JEWISH PRINCESS!"

"OHHHH MY GOD OH MY GOD," Blaine was just beginning to catch his breath, his face bright cherry read as he coughed a little bit. Kurt giggled, rubbing and patting Blaine on the shoulder blade in an attempt to save him from suffocating on the chortles that escaped his lips. As Kurt made circular motions on Blaine's back, his face was now becoming red for an entirely different reason.

When Rachel was finished, she stood up from a very flushed Jeff's lap and strutted back to her seat on the carpet, a proud look on her face with her hands on her hips. Brittany hugged her shoulder.

"Oh Rachel, I'm so happy for you," Brittany chimed. "You reminded me of me the first time I ever gave a lap dance, except I, of course, was a lot better and it was with a kid three years younger than me."

"I need to delete my memory of what I just pictured," Wes covered his face with the pillow he was propping himself up on.

"Oh, quit your bitching, Warbler boy," Santana snickered darkly, pushing her dark strands of hair from her forehead. "The night's just beginning."

At about 2:19 in the morning, the still-remaining and awake teenagers managed to accomplish a variety of dares, including Puck swallowing a table spoon of cinnamon (he coughed it all up), dialing a random number in the phone book and prank calling them (the number belonged to some old woman's house who enjoyed talking about her cats), Nick licking the bare, tiled floor in the kitchen, Santana taking her bra off with one hand while keeping her shirt on, and many, many more. Blaine had been to great parties before, but for some reason, as he sat in this cramped space of a living room, drinking stale booze with complete strangers in the middle of the fucking woods and sitting next to a very gorgeous boy who smelt like a mixture of vanilla and liquor, Blaine decided that in that moment, he'd never felt more alive.

"Okay! Now I want to ask someone truth or dare!" Rachel constantly squawked.

"Alright, Jesus," Puck flung his pillow at the back of Rachel's head, eliciting a "_Noah_!" from Rachel. "Go and say it. It better be a good one! Don't regret me allowing you to ask the question of doom."

"Hmm..." Rachel tapped two fingers to her chin, a symbol of pondering and deep concentration, even thought she was completely good-girl-gone-bonkers at this point and there was no way she could be conjuring up anything intelligent. Blaine wondered what kind of incoherent thoughts were floating around in her mind.

"Blaine!" Rachel called out, making Blaine jump a little.

"Yes?"

"Truth or dare?"

"Ah, I'll just do dare."

"Good! Because I happen to have a very beautiful, sensual, mind-blowing dare that will probably knock your socks off!"

Blaine raised one eyebrow. "Is it, now?"

"Yup." Rachel beamed sneakily, sat up on her knees and pointed right at the space between Kurt and Blaine.

"I dare you," Rachel was laughing now, "To kiss Kurt!"

Oh.

It seemed as if every head in the room (not including Mike, Tina, or Finn's) heads snapped up, and the drunken, confused looks of those watching were now replaced with drunken, mischievous, silly smirks.

Immediately, cat calls and whistles from all over the room started to fill in the brief silence (despite the loud television that was now showing a commercial for tennis shoes) and the grins of the intoxicated teenagers started to spread.

"Come again?" Blaine asked, unsure if he heard right.

"You heard me!" Rachel cackled. "I dare you to kiss Kurt!"

"C'mon, Blaine, just do it," Puck joined in on the peer pressure. "Just grab Hummel's face and eat it like you've never tasted a dick before."

"I totally would have defended my boy Blaine on that one if I wasn't so into this right now," David commented, pumping his fist in the air and ganging up on Blaine.

Kurt looked at Blaine, and Blaine looked at Kurt, both of their eyes wide and a little nervous looking. They were a tipsy, sure, but not that deeply consumed by alcohol to unknowingly have sex with each other after knowing one another for a week. Kurt mouthed the words, _Oh my god._

"But-" Blaine began, but Santana held up a manicured hand and stopped his protests.

"Just do it, Warbler boy," Santana huffed, a cunning smile on her face. "This ought to be hot. I best be seein' my boy Hummel get it on before he goes prancing off to NYADA!"

"Yay! Yay for dolphin kisses!" Brittany clapped her hands, bouncing up and down on the bean bag chair she was nestled in. "YAY!"

"PLEASE!" Rachel bellowed. "You've gotta do it, Blaine! Look at poor innocent Kurty, little sweet Kurt, he just wants you to kiss him so bad!"

He did, indeed, turn his head to Kurt, who was looking right at him. Blaine thought this before and he still thought it in the heat of the moment: Kurt Hummel was beautiful. Blaine stared into the vast blue-green eyes that were so easy to fall into, the tousled hair that broke out from it's usual careful style, his reddened cheeks from the alcohol and laughter, his small little smirk that completed the already flawless face...God, if you asked Blaine Anderson if he wanted to kiss Kurt Hummel right now, he would say yes times a thousand. But while Blaine was a teenage boy with hormones and had the need to kiss beautiful boys, he also was a teenage boy with a heart who cared about how Kurt felt about all of this.

It wasn't long before the smashed teenagers began to get impatient, and soon the room wall filled with chants such as, "KISS HIM! KISS HIM! KISS HIM!" As if they were at a baseball game or cheerleading camp.

Blaine let out a nervous chuckle, looking at Kurt. Sexy, undeniably irresistible Kurt, who was batting his eyelashes at Blaine. Kurt gulped, swallowing some of his nerves down as he contemplated kissing Blaine. For the record, Kurt thought Blaine was probably one of the cutest, most charming boys he'd ever met, from looks to personality, Blaine would have been a very nice person to lock lips with. And besides, it was only one little dare, so why was Kurt suddenly becoming so flustered and shy? Was it because Blaine was just a sweetheart in general, who happened to be great looking? Were those hazel eyes even more intimidating than he thought?

"I'm down do do this if you are," Blaine told Kurt over the loud cheers. "But no worries. It's fine if you don't want to."

Kurt only payed attention to the plush looking lips a few inches away from his own. "No, let's do it. This should be fun." Kurt gave a small smile, warm and cutely determined. "It's just a dare, anyway."

Blaine couldn't believe Kurt had said yes. Blaine'd never kissed such a captivating boy before, and before he could even think about it, the boys exchanged one more demure smile before leaning in and brushing lips.

It was barely even a kiss. If a kiss could be person, and that person died and came back to earth as a ghost, that's what it would feel like. The chaste, little peck was the least thing from anything physical, but it sent gigantic fireworks exploding from somewhere in the back of Kurt and Blaine's minds. Like they were zapped with an electrical outlet, the sparks swam through one another's veins and causing a tingling sensation in the gut, heart, and chest area.

The New Directions and Warbler's broke out into loud applauses, more cat-calls, and screams of unrecognizable words that sounded sort of embarrassing to Blaine. When he felt Kurt push himself a tiny bit closer to Blaine, he thought he might erupt into a giant pile of...gay. He didn't even know what this meant, but seeing as he was drunk and currently kissing someone, you had to cut him some slack. The world thought it was an absolute abomination to be a homosexual, but in that moment, Blaine thought to himself, _This is the best time in the world right now to be gay, and whoever isn't joining in on this is missing a whole lot of goodies._

Now, the boys could fully feel each other's lips moving against themselves. They tuned out the cheers from their friends when they were suddenly lost in a sea of Kurt and Blaine. Kurt's lips were so, so soft, probably the softest lips in the whole universe. They tasted vaguely of both vanilla-mint chap stick and a hint of booze. And as for Blaine, well, Kurt really enjoyed the feeling of full, warm lips pressed against his own. He clumsily reached up and gripped Blaine's shoulder, using it to keep him still in case he swayed all over the place. Very carefully, Blaine used his hand to touch a spot underneath Kurt's arm, on his rib cage. This probably wasn't the most passionate and intimate position for a kiss, and it was a little awkward, but they didn't were no tongues involved considering they'd just met and were still friends. But it was fine. A kiss is still a kiss, and a great one at that.

With a muffled smack, the boys' lips broke apart, and they stared into each other's eyes, their minds starting to cope with what had just happened. And at the same time, they both put on their best shy smiles, Kurt even showing some of his teeth, as they released a few nervous giggles.

"That's it?" Santana exclaimed. "Aw man, I thought we were gonna see some real tongue slurping action! You know, shit that goes down in porno's!"

"I thought it was adorable!" Brittany sighed dreamily.

Blaine rubbed his hand gently up and down Kurt's rib cage in a soothing motion. "Did you enjoy that?"

"I did," Kurt blushed timidly. "I admit it, you're quite the kisser, Blaine Anderson. Did _you_ enjoy what _I_ had to offer?"

"I enjoyed it a little too much, actually," Blaine cocked his head to the side and smiled. "But, uh, you know, thanks for doing that with me. It's not easy having to make-out with someone when you first meet them, you know? You're a bravie."

Kurt giggled, placing a small kiss on Blaine's cheek, just under his eye. "You're welcome. It was fun. Really, really fun."

"Very fun," Blaine agreed.

By the time it was around 3:00 am, almost everyone had either passed out on the carpet or was yawning in an attempt to fight off the alcohol and weariness. The boys decided it was time to go back to Wes's house, when Santana spoke up.

"Jus' sleep here tonight," she mumbled into a pillow. "Your little friend there is obviously not going to wake up until the afternoon tomorrow, so you might as well just crash here."

Santana was right. David and Nick had completely blacked out, sleeping on top of some stray cushions on the floor, their mouthes open and snoring loudly. _Ouch_, Blaine thought, _it's going to be a pain for them to wake up in the morning._

"Whatever," Wes sighed, plopping down on another bean bag chair that was settled in the corner of the room. "I'm good with sleeping here. As long as Santana here doesn't date rape us in our sleep."

"I promise nothing," Santana chuckled drunkenly.

Blaine grabbed a bright green blanket from on the couch and lay down just a few feet away from where Kurt was curled up into a little ball, too lazy to actually get up and go to his room.

"Goodnight, Blaine, you fabulous kisser, you," Kurt whispered, giving a funny little cartoon-y wave with his hand. Blaine smirked.

"G'night, Kurt," Blaine imitated the wave Kurt had given him.

He watched Kurt move around restlessly on the floor for a few more moments, his eyes settling on Kurt's straight, well postured back, before the sounds of the television lulled him to sleep, his head a little dizzy and his lips faintly tasting like vanilla-mint chap stick.

_Hey guys, quick AN: I forgot to write some Quinn scenes in this chapter, and I'm too tired to go back and write some lines for her because this chapter took me forever, so let's just imagine she's dozing off somewhere or being angry-girl drunk again, okay? Also, vanilla-mint chap stick is my favorite flavor of chap stick and lipgloss, so I thought I'd let Kurt and I share a similarity :D There you go, you just learned a random fact about me._


	8. All In Good Time

_DID EVERYBODY SEE THE GODDAMN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING TRAILER? OH MY GOD I SCREAMED AND STARTED TO CRY WHEN I WATCHED IT. I Just know this movie is going to be so witty and hilarious and smart. Chris Colfer had literally been my idol and my hero since I first watched him in glee, and even thought I've never met him (yet) I feel like a proud mother watching his dreams come to life. He's so inspirational and I'll be damned if I'm not first in line to get tickets to this movie. If you haven't watched the trailer for SBL yet, THEN WHY ARE YOU READING THIS? Fanfiction can wait! Get all of your lovely asses online right now and watch the best trailer ever made! :)_

Skin on skin. Breathing that was very out of sync. The feeling of a slight pressure being pressed down on his chest. The nimble hands and shy blue eyes, the slow movements of the limbs, the lips that tangled together as one. Counting the heartbeats: One, twothreefourfive, six. A rubato drum. Breaking apart, an alluring smile.

Blaine woke up, slowly opening his sleepy eyes.

It was probably the most intense dream he'd ever had in his life. He was pretty impressed and surprised with himself, actually, that his mind was still able to materialize a dream in his sleep despite all the alcohol he drank the night before. But then again, he felt lucky that he hadn't guzzled as much alcohol as, say, Rachel or David. He was relieved he wasn't them.

Batting his eyelashes rapidly, irritated from the sunlight pouring in from the window, Blaine thought of the night before. His tongue darted out to lick his lips, which still indistinctly tasted of booze. He frowned when he discovered that the vanilla-mint chap stick flavor had faded from his mouth.

Kissing Kurt had been nothing Blaine'd expected. Well, sure, he'd expected to get all jittery and feel amazing kissing such a good-looking person, but he hadn't expected to feel that much of a spark. He wasn't fooling himself- he wasn't in love with Kurt...he couldn't be. They'd just met. But still, Blaine knew a good kiss when he had one, and that, undeniably, was a good one. Even if it was sort of sloppy and quick. Blaine rolled over on his back, pushing down on the green blanket he was using to find that Kurt was gone from his position on the floor.

Slowly and lazily, Blaine sat up, rubbing his eyes and sighing. He stared at all of the sleeping bodies around him. Blaine didn't exactly have a hangover, but there was a slight annoying tapping from in the back of his head that almost felt like a small headache. He figured he'd slept off most of the drunk away. The inside of his mouth, however, tasted horrible, and since he was at Santana's he didn't have his toothbrush. Blaine reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a long stick of green, minty gum, popping it into his mouth and chewing hastily. Much better.

He stood up, folding up the green blanket and placing it back on the couch where Brittany had passed out. He began to walk out of the living room, not sure where he was going, but just looking for something to do while he waited for everyone to reluctantly rouse.

Blaine made his way into the kitchen, hoping to find something to eat, when he spotted Kurt, fixing himself a cup of coffee. Blaine froze, unsure of what to say or do, but it quickly faded when Kurt turned his way.

"Good morning," Kurt said, raising the white coffee mug to his lips and sipping away.

"Good morning," Blaine repeated. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby," Kurt said in between mouthfuls. He seemed to want the coffee as quickly inside him as possible. "What about you? Do you need any Advil or something? You'd better take some now before the savages wake up and inhale the whole bottle."

Blaine chuckled. "No thanks, I'm not feeling that bad. I still remember who I am, so that's a god sign."

There was a quick pause, and then Blaine cleared his throat.

"This is..." Kurt began.

"Awkward?"

"No, actually, I was going to say the exact opposite."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This isn't as awkward as I thought it was gonna be. Do you feel awkward?"

"Not really. A little dazed, and like, _holy-shit-I-really-did-that-last-night_ kinda feeling, but not in a bad way. I can look you in the eye without feeling shameful or slutty."

Kurt laughed loudly at that. "Good. It shouldn't be awkward between us. Because I really like talking to you, Blaine."

"I like talking to you too."

"And I still think you're an excellent kisser."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Am I making this worse?"

"Not at all. You're keeping conversation going."

"Do you really think I'm a good kisser?"

"Well, I haven't really full-on kissed you yet, like how Mike and Tina were doing last night. But from what I can tell, yes. You're quite the charmer."

"We should..." Kurt stopped talking, flustered. He looked down at his socked feet.

"What is it?"

"Maybe we should try it again. Now that we're both sober, and all."

"Kurt, I was just thinking the same thing."

And then they turned to each other. Kurt set his mug down upon the counter, watching as Blaine stepped into his privacy bubble, and they leaned forward. Just like before, it was sort of a chaste, quick kiss, but there it was again: the explosion of fireworks. How cliche... but it was true.

For a few graceless moments, they just stayed completely still, unsure of what to do. Their lips just sort of stayed frozen against each other, but then, slowly, _very_ very slowly, they began to move. Kurt pushed his mouth closer to Blaine's in a very shy, cute gesture, and Blaine responded, helping Kurt out while he sort of puzzle-pieced their mouthes together. This was a bit more difficult to do while sober, but it was also more thrilling.

In what seemed like no time, it was more than just their lips touching. Kurt's hands moved up to gently cover Blaine's shoulder blades, pressing their chests closer together so they were brushing. Blaine moved his arms to settle around Kurt's waist, feeling his hips beneath his jeans. A morning kiss was something neither of them had been expecting. But hey, better than a hangover.

Kurt sighed, tilting his head a little to the side and concentrating on the movements of Blaine's mouth. Blaine's heart beat like crazy in his chest, but he didn't dare try to breathe to heavily in fear of embarrassing himself. He couldn't believe he was actually touching lips with another boy, who just so happened to be visiting Eliot lake at the time he was, who just so happened to be gay, who just so happened to be beautiful, who just so happened to have great charisma, and who just so happened to want to kiss him back.

The first one to pull away was Kurt. When Blaine saw his face, it was nearly completely covered in pink blush, from the tips of his ears, to the apples of his cheeks, to his plump lips. Blaine smiled.

"You're adorable," he said without thinking.

"Am I, now?"

"Yeah. I thought so since the first day."

"I think you're pretty lucky with the looks, as well."

"Is that why you kissed me?"

"No. I kissed you because you're really awesome."

Blaine snorted, shaking his head. "You're funny."

"I'm pretty hilarious, actually," Kurt said casually, cracking a smile.

They didn't even notice that they were still completely tangled in each other, hands and arms wrapped around certain places on their bodies. Blaine licked his lips, and Kurt blushed, noticing.

"Kurt?"

"Yes?"

"I want to kiss you again."

"I want to kiss you too, Blaine, but..."

Uh oh, not a but. Blaine suddenly looked very worried. "Sorry. Did I do something wrong...?"

Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, no! No Blaine, it's not your fault, you did nothing wrong. I just think...we're moving a little too fast."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"But...I don't understand..."

"I like kissing you, Blaine," Kurt began. "I love it, even. But...it's been a week since I met you. I think we should take things slowly. I mean, are we even dating, or what? One kiss doesn't determine a relationship and where it stands. I think you're great, but I don't even really know you that well."

"You know me well enough."

"Yes, but not like, how Wes or David know you."

"I really like you."

"And I," Kurt sighed, "Really like you. But I think we should...get to know each other some more, first. I want to be your friend before I'm your boyfriend. Is that alright?"

Blaine thought about this. Maybe it would take time to be in a fully committed relationship with Kurt. Things like this didn't just happen over night, It was a process. Blaine nodded.

"You're right," Blaine sighed. "You're right. Maybe...yeah. We should take things slowly."

"I agree," Kurt smiled.

"Kurt?" Blaine gave a lovable little pout, like a small child.

"Yes?"

"I still really want to kiss you."

Kurt gave a sad smile. "All in good time. All in good time."

Just then, a low, pained moan came from inside the living room. The boy's broke apart and stared into the direction of the kitchen.

"I think the beasts have awoken," Kurt observed.

"We should get that Advil ready," Blaine said.

The boy's made their way back into the living room, Blaine trailing behind Kurt like a puppy dog. Blaine felt a little upset that he'd gotten kind of rejected, but he felt reassured knowing that Kurt hadn't completely said 'no' or shut him out of his life after one tipsy night. He knew he should feel uncomfortable around Kurt, but he just didn't. That's just how things were. There was no room to feel awkward with Kurt when Blaine already felt sort of lighthearted at what he got to do with Kurt.

The first thing Blaine saw when he walked into the living room was David sprawled out like a starfish on the carpet. The wool blanket he'd been using was now exhibited all over his face and body. Blaine tried to hold in his smug laughter and he walked over to his friend and nudged him with his toe.

"Ughhh..." David groaned. "Holy hell...sweet baby Jesus, please have some mercy..."

"Rise and shine, princess," Blaine cooed in a mocking sort of way. "Time to wake up and experience the world!"

"Piss off, Blaine," David mumbled beneath the blanket. "Oh my god, it feels like an Oklahoma tornado is in my goddamn head right now... How are you not hungover?"

"Because I didn't drink as much as you did," Blaine said. "There's Advil in the kitchen if you need it."

"I can't even _move,_ Blaine," David was obviously annoyed. "I'm just going to die here...shit, Nick was right..."

Blaine laughed. "I'm pretty sure Nick was not right, but you two can have an argument when he wakes up."

"Ohhhh..." Nick said, and Blaine's eyebrows shot up.

"...Or, you can have a discussion about that now. Nick's awake," Blaine told David. David didn't respond, instead he flipped over onto his stomach and sighed.

A few hours later, when everyone was awake now (whining and grumbling in pain as well as reeking of alcohol), it was nearly noon. It was a unanimous decision that nobody wanted to sing at a campfire or go swimming today. Instead, everyone decided that they needed to inhale a gazillion bottles of Advil and sleep for the rest of the summer. Yes, that seemed like a decent idea.

Hanging out at Santana's house all day was pretty funny, actually. Blaine quite enjoyed watching everyone squirm all over the carpet and mumble incoherent phrases. Call him sick and twisted, but hearing Rachel Berry mutter "I've lost so many brain cells that I think even my talent is drunk" was kind of hilarious, if you asked Blaine.

Still, even as he tried to distract himself with helping out his friends today, he couldn't get Kurt off of his mind. He was enraptured that Kurt would even consider maybe dating Blaine again sometime. But he was worried as well. He didn't want to rub Kurt the wrong way the more he got to know him. Kurt liked to talk a lot, so getting to know Kurt wouldn't really be a problem for Blaine. So far, he knew the basic backgrounds of Kurt after only one week and a couple of days. He found out that Kurt lived with his father, step-brother (who just so happened to be Finn) and his step-mother, Carole. He learned that his biological mother had passed away when he was only six years old. Kurt enjoyed musical theatre, doing his skin-routine before he went to sleep, mix-matching his clothing, going out for coffee, performing, taking walks early in the morning, the smell of rain, spending time with his friends and reading whatever he could get his hands on. But just b taking one look at Kurt without having known these things, you could classify him as a bit of a misfit.

"I know," Kurt had told Blaine earlier in the week when Blaine had mentioned this to him. He gave Blaine a large, sweet smile that put the sun to shame. "But misfits are the ones that always grow up to be memorable."

Later that night, when the boys were finally feeling well enough to stand up on their legs and walk out the door back to Wes's cottage, Kurt walked to the door and opened it for them. Santana, once again, had passed out on the sofa with her head in Brittany's lap and her knees on Tina's lap. Guess she was too beaten up to say goodbye.

"G'bye, Kurt," Nick waved. "Thanks for last night."

"And watch out, man," David said, "The second we start feeling less like crap is the moment when we pummel your ass with references to you and Blaine kissi-"

"Shut up!" Blaine interrupted David, pushing him in the back of the head with the heel of his palm.

Kurt just giggled when he saw the embarrassed look on Blaine's face. Blaine was already beginning to push his friends out of the doorway and onto the grass.

"Out, out, out," Blaine shooed away the boys like meddling flies, "Go away. Go sleep or something."

He turned his attention back to Kurt, still standing in the door frame with one hand on the door and one on his hip.

"Thanks for having us, even if we did sort of mess up the place," Blaine said.

"I'll make sure to tell Santana," Kurt grinned, tilting his head to one side.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Blaine asked, a little hopefully.

"Of course," Kurt replied. He stepped forward a little, placing a hand on Blaine's shoulder. Blaine gulped.

"Remember what I said," Kurt almost whispered, as if he were afraid they were being watched. Blaine blinked.

"All in good time?" asked Blaine. Kurt smiled, giving a tiny wink with his right eye.

"All in good time," Kurt repeated. He said goodbye one more time and gently closed the door, leaving Blaine a little stupefied on the front steps.

The words echoed in Blaine's head all night. _All in good time, all in good time._


	9. Swim

_Hey, faithful readers. You know what I've been wanting to write for a really long time? A BadBoy! Blaine fic. I don't know! For some reason they look like so much fun to write. I love all the angst and cursing, but with most BadBoy! Blaine stories, there's so much of an emotional aspect to it that almost makes you forget that you're reading about a troublemaker. I've wanted to write one ever since it started trending around on tumblr a while ago, but I've never gotten to do it because of my A Walk To Remember story and because of this one. So, what do you guys think? Should I try out a BadBoy! Blaine story after I'm finished writing this one? Would that interest any of you? Let me know! Also, has anyone watched 8 yet? That short play with Chris Colfer and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and a bunch of other great actors? I just watched the live stream on youtube and let me tell you, it was very incredible and moving. If you haven't seen it yet, please look it up._

Kurt sat comfortably underneath the giant oak tree, protected from the sun by the spacious shady area. With a thick novel in his lap, his sunglasses resting in his nest of chestnut hair, he sighed as he breathed in more of the smoggy, boiling air. He watched from his spot as his friends splashed about in the water, screaming like maniacs and jumping on each other like cheetah's at prey. Kurt smiled at his friends from afar.

It wasn't that he didn't like swimming, or that he was afraid of getting fried by the sun, but Kurt just wasn't really an outdoors-y kind of person. Dunking your head down into murky lake water repetitively while half naked didn't sound like the best plan to Kurt, especially when he was in front of his friends and a very, very cute boy.

It'd been almost two weeks since the Kurt and Blaine kissing fiasco. Kurt watched Blaine laughing in the water, spiking a rubber ball over to Puck and Finn. He blushed to himself when he saw Blaine's torso moving about in the water, tiny beads of liquid dripping down his shoulder and his back. Kurt rolled his eyes to himself, exhaling loudly and looking away from Blaine before his eyes got a little carried away. He'd already made it completely clear to Blaine and to himself that before anything serious was going to happen between them, they needed to clearly set some boundaries and develop more as friends. Kurt was certainly not rejecting Blaine, not at all. But Kurt had never been in a real relationship before, and if he wanted to start during the summer as he was about to leave for college in a limited amount of weeks, he would need to make it work with Blaine.

Just then, Blaine stood up from where he was crouching in the water, splashing Brittany and Rachel with his hands. The girls attempted to splash back, but Blaine was already swimming towards the grass where a heap of towels and shoes were laying. He picked up a bright blue towel, rubbing it through his hair and he padded his way over to Kurt. Kurt swallowed, looking back down to his book as he tried not to notice Blaine's intelligibly half naked body.

"What's wrong, Kurt?" Blaine asked, running the towel through his thick hair one more time before tossing it aside. He sat down on top of the towel, crossing his legs and turning to Kurt.

Kurt didn't look up from his book, but a slight twitch of his mouth indicated that he acknowledged Blaine's presence. "I don't swim, Blaine, remember? I thought I made that clear the first day I was here."

"But swimming is so fun! Plus, it's hot enough out here to cook breakfast on the dock," Blaine encouraged.

Kurt shook his head. "I am strictly a land animal. If I go in the water, I'll pretty much disintegrate and die."

"Oh, come on," Blaine smiled widely, like a child trying to gain something from their parents. "It's great on a day like today. And you're wearing jeans? How can you stand it? Aren't you roasting underneath all that?"

Kurt smirked. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get me out of my pants, Blaine."

Blaine laughed, throwing his head back. "I have my ulterior motives." He winked.

Kurt smiled, but didn't answer. He knew he'd had a very flirty relationship with Blaine since the first day he met him, but he didn't think this was maybe the best way to "get to know him."

Cocking his head to one side, Blaine said, "Talk to me, Kurt."

"We have engaged in conversation."

"But what's this conversation about?"

"I don't know. Swimming and getting naked, I guess."

"Funny," Blaine said. Kurt paused from his book then, placing it on the grass next to him and fully turning his body to face Blaine.

"Alright," Kurt said, "Alright. Are we doing the whole twenty questions again?"

"That is our favorite game, after all," Blaine said.

"It gets so boring after a while, though..." Kurt sighed.

"Then just come swimming, Kurt!" Blaine was now singing, and even though he was completely making up random notes in his head, Kurt still thought it sounded marvelous.

"Blaine, I-"

"You'll die if you don't give it a try!"

"Are you serious rhyming now Bla-"

"You can't win if you don't swim!"

"Oh my god! Stop it! I'll never be able to get these rhymes out of my head!"

"Without water, you'll get real hotter!"

"The use of words and where you put them sucked on that one." Kurt was giggling out of control now.

"It sucks when you die of hyperthermia!" Blaine chimed.

"Ha. That didn't rhyme, Dr. Seuss," Kurt snorted.

"Hey! You two flirting over there or something?" called David from the water.

"Let us know when the wedding is!" Puck called before dunking his head underwater.

A few cat-called, making Kurt's face turn scarlet. Blaine's eyes pierced into the side on Kurt's face, just watching him, how the delicate skin turned another color so quickly and how Kurt grumbled adorably.

"You're so cute," Blaine blurted out without even thinking.

"Pft, yeah. Because I certainly get that a lot," Kurt muttered sarcastically.

"No, no, I mean it, Kurt. You're really cute. You're actually so much more than cute," Blaine pleaded, trying to convince Kurt other wise.

Kurt turned to him slowly, now blushing even harder than before, his eyes looking down at his knees. He gave a coy, gentle smile, almost like it wasn't even there.

"Thank you," he replied, and then, Blaine began to view Kurt in another light. He realized that though Kurt had a witty, sarcastic, intelligent side to him, Blaine had to remember that he was still a teenage boy with insecurities and fears of the outside world. Blaine assumed that this was probably the first time a boy had ever called him cute, which was pretty hard to believe since Kurt was probably the most beautiful person Blaine had ever seen.

"Don't you ever get that, Kurt?" Blaine asked, lowering his head so he could get caught in the stare of those eyes.

"Not really," Kurt shrugged. "I'm effeminate, I look like a ghost and my clothes resemble brightly colored parade banners. That's not very cute, according to a lot of people."

"Trust me," Blaine smiled now, no longer nervous of saying something stupid. "You're cute. And not like, little kid cute or baby kitten cute, either. Like, seriously gorgeous and spectacular cute."

Kurt didn't think he could take the heat on his face that was quickly spreading across his cheeks and nose. He gave a timid, shy smile. A whisper of a smile, basically. But still a smile that caused Blaine's heart to skip a few beats.

"Thank you," Kurt repeated, his voice almost shaky. He cleared his throat. "You flatter me, Blaine."

"Nah, just being honest." They smiled at each other.

"Hey!" A yell interrupted their thoughts. "Kurt! Come here! We need to tell you something!"

Kurt looked up, seeing the girls all huddled near the dock, still in the water. He told Blaine he'd be right back, so he uncrossed his legs and walked over on the dock. Blaine watched as he strutted on over, taking in what had just happen. Despite his protests, poor Kurt looked awfully scorching in his clothes. A mischievous grin spread across Blaine's face as he got up from the shady area and tip toed onto the dock.

He couldn't quite hear what Kurt and the girls were babbling about, but when the girls saw him approaching, he placed a finger to his lips in a hushing motion. The girls looked away from Blaine, understanding.

Kurt was just in mid-sentence when he suddenly felt strong arms wrap around his waist, pulling him tightly. Startled, he jumped when he felt himself being pushed forward into the air until he could feel the water below rush up to meet him.

When Kurt emerged, _everyone _was laughing and cheering.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Hummel actually got in the water!" Sam yelled.

"Oh god, baby, I'm sorry, but it was really funny!" Mercedes' laugh boomed through out the park, it seemed.

Kurt flicked his wet bangs out of his face in a pissed off gesture towards Blaine. But miraculously enough, he was smiling.

"Blaine," Kurt's look of doom made Blaine freeze. "I'm going to kill you! I still had my clothes on! And now my hair is all wet, thanks to you."

"Aw, c'mon Kurt, I kind of saved your life. You'd be deep fried Hummel by now if you hadn't gotten in the water!"

"_Pushed_ in the water," Kurt corrected.

"Yes, well, same thing." Blaine winked once more.

"You're not so smooth!" Kurt laughed, before reaching up and grabbing Blaine from around the wrist, tugging him in until he too was falling into the cool water.

"Oh, you're going to get it!"


	10. Good Ol' Moon

Making it's way into the end of the third week spent at Eliot Lake, Kurt and Blaine seemed to spend more time together than ever before. The talking between those two could have gone on for hours and hours, simply discussing whatever came to mind. The days Blaine spent with Kurt were calm, pure, and dare he say it?_ Loving._

Blaine assumed that he probably wasn't in love with Kurt. But his feelings for the boy had taken matter into it's own hands, twisting his feelings around in his gut and waving them in the air like a flag. And even if it was too soon to admit it, Blaine was completely _smitten_ with Kurt. Like a teenage girl worshipping a poster of some famous rock star or boy band group. Kurt had a brilliant vibe to him that could make him easily likable- well, if you didn't get on his bitchy side, that is. And while Blaine didn't want to sound vain or conceited, he felt that maybe Kurt felt the same way about him, too. Sometimes he would catch Kurt gazing at Blaine while he swam, and Kurt would blush and quickly look away. Blaine didn't think he was the most hottest piece of ass ever to walk the face of the earth, but he couldn't help but feel flattered at the slight mutual, flirtatious attraction shared between the two boys.

A relationship with Kurt was something that Blaine sort of did want. Even if it was a quick, summer romance, or one that lead beyond college. There was just something _there _that couldn't be ignored.

Blaine decided he was going to do something about that.

One night, the New Directions and The Warblers were having a late-night swim when they all decided to go inside to grab a bit to eat back at Santana's. Blaine watched as all the bodies emerged from the water, slipping on flip-flops and tying towels around their waists. Kurt, of course, didn't swim, but he did sit on the doc with his feet dangling into the warm water, chatting away with the girls who did swim. A book sat in Kurt's lap, open to somewhere in the middle of the thick novel, but he never read it as he spoke.

"Hey, dude," David said to Blaine. "You comin' inside?"

"No, not yet," Blaine replied, eyeing Kurt sitting on the edge of the doc. "I'm just gonna hang out here for a while. There's something I need to take care of. But I'll meet you inside in like, ten minutes."

"Alright, man," David said. "I'm gonna head in, because I'm starving."

"Save some of whatever you're having for me!" Blaine called as Wes, Nick, Jeff and David made their way up into Santana's house.

Blaine turned his attention back to Kurt. He was completely alone with him outside now, and just before Kurt had enough time to close his book and stand up to go inside, Blaine reached behind a tree, pulling out his guitar, and stopped him.

"Hey, Kurt!" Blaine yelled. Kurt's head whipped in Blaine's direction. "Do you mind if I talk to you for a second?"

Kurt smiled and nodded, sitting back down on the doc. He placed his legs back into the water, putting his novel next to his thigh as Blaine say down cross-legged.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Kurt asked. The pale moonlight shone directly on Kurt's porcelain skin, almost making it glow. Blaine swallowed nervously and placed his guitar in his lap.

"I have to show you something," he explained when Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, cautiously intrigued by the guitar Blaine was holding.

"Did I ever tell you that I write songs?" Blaine said, tuning his guitar quietly.

"You mentioned it once or twice, but never got into full detail," Kurt said. "Why?"

"Because, I've been working on this one song for a really long time," Blaine told Kurt. "And I'd really like to play it for you. You know, so I can hopefully get some positive feedback? It'd be really great if you could offer your thoughts to me."

Kurt flushed beneath the white moonlight. Blaine was going to play a song for him? He could've picked anyone to listen to whatever crazy thoughts were conjuring in Blaine's mind. He felt curious, extremely praised and even a little bashful that he was going to hear one of Blaine's songs.

"Of course you can play your song for me," Kurt said, but then quickly tried to changed his words. "Um-not that you're playing this song for me or anything, but-"

Blaine laughed. "Don't worry, Kurt." He strummed a chord before speaking again. "In fact, I now dedicate this song to Kurt Hummel."_ Even though that was my plan beforehand,_ Blaine thought.

Kurt kicked his legs back and forth in the lukewarm water, making tiny _splish-splash _noises. "You don't have to, Blaine."

"Nonsense," Blaine waved his hand in front of his face. "Just be warned, um, I don't really know if it'll be any good."

"Please, I'm sure you could alter the lyrics to a Ke$ha song and make it sound meaningful," Kurt giggled, continuing to make little waves in the water with his toes. _He's so adorable_, Blaine thought.

"Okay, okay, okay," Blaine cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter. "Okay. So, um, here it goes."

Kurt waited patiently and silently as Blaine positioned his fingers on the frets of the guitar, licking his lips and blinking several times. Kurt smiled to himself, thinking, _How did I end up alone with the cutest boy ever who's about to sing me a song?_

Blaine began to sing, strumming lightly.

_Wake up, I'm lonely,_

_Let's talk about how we love to talk on the telephone_

_We would hang up and go back to absolutely nothing_

_And by absolutely nothing, I mean pick up the phone._

_The sun is out, the moon is smiling_

_In the corner of his eye he's crying for his next new arrival for the rest of the night,_

_Good Ol' Moon is like me,_

_We walk free, but we're stuck in here!_

Kurt literally had to bite on his lips to keep from squealing. Blaine had such a beautiful, dreamy voice that he'd just love to snuggle up to with a blanket and a cup of tea. He could listen to Blaine sing for hours, and his large, hazel eyes looked up to catch Kurt's.

_I'll pick up the comics and sympathize with Linus_

_And the z's that Dagwood leaves behind._

_As for me I wouldn't mind just to join him along._

_I mean, just look at these two pictures, can you tell me what's wrong?_

_The sun is out, the moon is smiling_

_In the corner of his eye he's crying for his next new arrival for the rest of the night,_

_Good Ol' Moon is like me,_

_We walk free, but we're stuck in here!_

_No more pain for a while,_

_You and I could sit in the sun and smile._

_Maybe then, we'd be friends, yeah,_

_The moon, the sun, and me,_

_And we could sing together in perfect harmony,_

_Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!_

Kurt bubbled up with light laughter as Blaine started to whistle, strumming his guitar to a steady tempo. Kurt couldn't help but drum his fingers on his own knee as Blaine wagged his head back and forth, a smile on his face as passion for music sparked in the air. Kurt really, really loved Blaine's song. It was the most adorable, catchy tune he'd ever heard, and he couldn't believe that a teenage boy with lots of spare time had written it.

_No more pain for a while,_

_You and I could sit in the sun and smile._

_Maybe then, we'd be friends, yeah,_

_The moon, the sun, and me,_

_And we could sing together in perfect harmony,_

_Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo, Oh!_

_Wake up, I'm lonely, let's talk about how we need to find a better dream_

_Cause it's getting much darker, the sun is worn out_

_And I think it's time for you and I to get some sleep!_

_Oh, the moon is out, the sun is trying not to look upset_

_But man, he's dying for his next new arrival for the rest of the night._

_Good Ol' Moon is like me, we walk free,_

_Good Ol' Moon is like me, we walk free_

_Good Ol' Moon is like me, we walk free_

_But we're stuck in here!_

Blaine ended the song with a final strum on his guitar, adding an adorable little _bummmmm! _At the end, He tilted his head and flashed Kurt a wide grin, looking more animated and goofy than ever in his life. Kurt broke out into applause, shaking his head with closed eyes.

"Blaine!" Kurt squealed. "That was amazing!"

"Thank you, dear sir," Blaine pretended to bow.

"I'm serious," Kurt marveled. "That was fantastic. I can't believe you wrote something so beautiful and incredible."

Blaine froze. No one had ever said such nice things about his music before. "You... think it's beautiful and incredible?"

"I think it's beyond that," Kurt's voice dropped down to a whisper now. "Kind of like you."

And then Kurt moved towards Blaine and kissed him on the lips.

Blaine was not expecting this. His plan was to play a silly little love song for Kurt, hopefully to woo him enough to get past the friend zone, but he wasn't actually going to think that those gorgeous, hypnotic, pink and plump lips were going to be pressed against his any time soon. Blaine gasped, his arms motionless for a brief second, before his eyes rolled back into his head, his eyelids shutting slowly. He completely melted into the rousing feeling of Kurt's mouth. Blaine's body now moved by itself, his hands forgetting about the guitar in his lap as they moved up to grab Kurt's face.

They stayed like that for what felt like hours, just quietly kissing one another's lips. Kurt smiled into the kiss, which made Blaine smile, which messed up their kiss a little, which caused the boys to break out into a fit of giggles.

Blaine stroked his thumbs over Kurt's soft cheekbones, the piercing cerulean irises staring up at Blaine. He didn't know where this left him and Kurt now, where they were now in their relationship that already had so much chemistry. At that moment, however, it wasn't necessarily important, because the only thing he wanted to decide right then was if he liked what Kurt's tongue felt like against his own.

"That song...for me?" Kurt's eyes shyly darted all over the place, and Blaine could feel the sudden rush of head start to spread across Kurt's cheeks. He lay his forehead against Kurt's, their faces so close now that Blaine could almost see glittering patterns in Kurt's stellar eyes.

"Yeah," Blaine whispered. "Yeah, it was."

"Thank you," Kurt smiled before leaning in to kiss Blaine once more, just as electrifying as the first time when Kurt caught him off guard. This kiss was slower, more languid, as clumsy hands, nervous giggles and tentative but enthusiastic tongues danced in warm mouthes. Kurt could have sworn he saw stars and fireworks like in cliche cartoons when Blaine kissed him like this. Blaine's hands moved down to gently hold the small of Kurt's back, while Kurt placed his slim fingers on Blaine's jaw.

Kurt and Blaine proceeded to kiss underneath the stars, naive to what was to come, despite that they had already fallen hard and fast. Even if they didn't quite understand it or realize it yet.

_Quick AN. I know that I haven't updated this in a while, and I'm sorry, but I've been having some pretty bad writers block lately. I'm trying to work as fast as possible, so thanks for standing by. Also, I know Good Ol' Moon isn't really the most romantic song written by Darren Criss, but this is actually one of my favorite songs by him, and I thought it kind of fit the setting and the mood of what was happening. I know most people don't like when Blaine sings songs written by Darren Criss, but quite frankly, I really don't care what they think. His songs are cute and perfect for certain events going on in the story. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and happy belated klaine-aversary (: _


	11. Unexpectedly Official

Quickly following what Blaine liked to call "the-successful-midnight-serenade-kiss," Blaine's feelings immediately started to reciprocate to what had happened. Kurt actually _kissed_ him. And not one of those pity kisses where you feel honored at someone when they write a song for you. It wasn't a _thank you_ kiss. It was a real kiss. And this time, they weren't surrounded by a bunch of intoxicated teenagers cheering them on, or had just a few stolen moments in a quiet kitchen. This kiss was private, done properly, without any invasion.

Or, that's what Blaine thought.

"Blaine!" Blaine was trying to sleep in his room when a loud bang burst through the door and he felt his mattress dip as several bodies started to climb onto it.

"BLAINE! WAKE UP, MAN!" It was Nick's voice.

Blaine jolted awake with a start, gasping when he felt his friends' hands shaking him.

"What, what? What is it? Is the forest on fire?" Blaine slurred sleepily.

David rolled his eyes, but he was smiling like he won the lottery. "Don't give us that crap, Blaine."

"Congratulations, dude!" Jeff chimed in. "You're looks and charisma finally paid off, for once."

Blaine was suspicious. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Blaine," Wes said. "You. Last night. With Kurt."

"What the hell?" Blaine was more alert now, and he fully sat up in the bed. "How do you know about that?"

David shrugged. "Everyone was watching from the window last night at Santana's."

"Everyone?" Blaine's eyes were the size of baseballs.

"Yeah! It was hilarious. That Rachel chick was pushing past everyone to get to the window so she could see, but she was so short that Sam literally almost knocked her d-"

"YOU ASSHOLES!" Blaine shouted, grabbing a pillow and smacking all of his friends with it. They held their hands up in surrender.

"Woah! Chill, Blaine! You're gonna shove a feather up someone's eye!" Nick pleaded. Blaine wasn't exactly mad at his friends, but he was...a little worried about how Kurt would feel about this. Blaine just wanted one little exclusive moment with Kurt. Was that so hard to ask?

Blaine crossed his arms over his chest. "Why were you watching? Couldn't you have given me like, ten seconds of some goddamn privacy?"

"Sorry," Jeff said, genuinely feeling sorry now. "We didn't mean to...we were just so curious that you were alone with him out there, and everyone was sort of rooting for you guys to get together."

"...Seriously?" Blaine asked, now cocking his head to the side.

"Yes," Wes joined in. "Don't worry. We weren't like, betting on you guys like horses at a race or anything. We were just observing the average, teenage gay boys from afar."

Blaine laughed a little at that. But then he sighed, "I'm just worried now...he's probably shied away now that you dumbasses spied on us."

"Quite the contrary," Wes shrugged. "He's downstairs right now waiting on you."

"What?" Blaine sprung up out of his bed, rushing to the drawers and looking for clothes. "How many more surprises are you going to fire at me in one morning?"

"Relax, dude, he hasn't been here long," said David. "Just a couple of minutes. He asked to speak to you when you woke up."

Blaine narrowed his eyes at his friends. "You didn't say anything stupid to him, right?"

"What? No! Come on, Blaine," Jeff snorted. "We're dumb, but not stupid. We wouldn't mess this up for you."

"Thanks. Now get out and let me change."

David did a little military solute before marching out of Blaine's room, closing the door. Blaine ran his fingers through his thick curls, pushing clothes aside until he settled on an outfit: khaki shorts, a magenta v-neck, his sunglasses and just the slightest dab of hair gel. He didn't really wear that much of the product in the summer because it usually would melt and drip all over the place. Too much of a hassle.

Blaine made his way down the wooden staircase, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous now than he was ten seconds ago. This was the first time he was seeing Kurt prior having kissed him last night. He gulped, shaking his nerves away before going into the living room.

Sure enough, there was Kurt, sitting on the sofa chewing on his bottom lip as he played with his phone. Kurt's giant glasz eyes looked up at the sound of Blaine's feet shuffling, and he smiled the smallest of smiles before standing up to greet Blaine.

"Hi," Kurt whispered a little bashfully, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink. Blaine returned his smile.

"Hi," Blaine said. They were standing only a few inches apart now, and slowly, Blaine opened his arms. Kurt stepped into them, enjoying the way he was cradled against Blaine's defined chest. He snuggled his nose into the crook of Blaine's shoulder, Blaine resting his chin on Kurt's. Blaine's heart nearly exploded when he felt Kurt press a kiss to Blaine's cheek.

When the boys pulled away, they exchanged nervous little giggles. "Will you take a walk with me?" Kurt asked.

Blaine nodded, taking Kurt's hand and heading out the door once he got his shoes on. The weather was scorching hot today, as it always was, but the boys continues to stroll down a tiny little path surrounded by wild flowers and trees of all different shades of green.

"How'd you find this place?" asked Blaine as he swung his and Kurt's intertwined fingers back and forth.

"I found it when I was just walking around at night," Kurt explained. "I was bored."

"Why would you go off by yourself at night?" Blaine asked. "There could be lions, tigers and bears...or murderers."

Kurt laughed, throwing his head back to expose most of his long, pale neck sticking out of his shirt. Blaine had to lick his lips and fight the urge to lean over and kiss it.

"More like killer mosquito's," Kurt said. "Don't worry about me. Instead, we should be worrying about us."

"Oh," Blaine wilted.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Blaine," Kurt stopped walking and turned his body so that he was in front of Blaine. He looked straight into the glowing orbs of Kurt's eyes, watching as he delicately blinked with his eyelashes fluttering. Kurt flushed, feeling the intensity of Blaine's eyes on his own. Kurt had never really been alone this much with another boy, and the fact that Blaine was willing to be more than friends with him made him feel...wanted.

He loved the feeling, and it made his heart beat irregularly.

"Um," Kurt began, "So, about last night...let me first say that it was amazing."

Blaine let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He was fearing that Kurt was going to say he made a mistake, or didn't want to go on with whatever they were having.

"I thought it was amazing too," Blaine said. "The kissing and all that. I-I mean, not that it was the only good part, because, like, it was great that y-you-"

Blaine was cut off with his babbling when Kurt just laughed and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "You're actually really cute when you're flustered."

Blaine felt the heat on his cheeks, and not the kind from the summer weather. "I try not to be."

"I was nervous, too," Kurt reassured him, rubbing Blaine's shoulder. "It's fine, don't worry about that. But I'm just really curious."

"About what?"

"I mean, there had to be some other reason why you serenaded me in the middle of the night before we practically made out." Kurt flushed at his choice of words, but kept talking. "And I'm pretty sure I know what you want- Correct me if I'm wrong- But I just really need to know what your intentions are with me."

Blaine took Kurt's waist in between his hands, making Kurt burn up as he spoke so fast that Kurt almost didn't catch what he was saying.

"I just think that you're really really amazing and talented and cute and I'd love to be more than friends with you, but I've never had a boyfriend myself and I'd just love to get to know you more as a person. I think we'd be like, the power couple that just becomes unstoppable as lame as that sounds, so for as long as we're here and beyond, would you maybe want to start a relationship with me?"

Blaine waited for a very long time as Kurt thought of an answer, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"You've never had a boyfriend before?"

He blinked. "W-what?"

"You've never had a boyfriend before?" Kurt repeated, almost a little incredulously.

"Uh, no," Blaine replied, a little confused as to why Kurt didn't answer his question. "Why?"

"You're just so hot and charismatic that I'd thought you already had plenty," Kurt giggled.

Blaine smirked. "I'm hot, am I?"

"_Very_ hot, Blaine, trust me," Kurt snorted, not being sarcastic, but rather flirty. "And...I've never had a boyfriend either."

This surprised Blaine. Someone as strikingly beautiful as Kurt was bound to have at least one boyfriend. "Really?"

"Yeah. But I think I'd like to change that. For both of us."

Blaine almost jumped for joy. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Kurt clarified before he moved in to kiss Blaine passionately on the lips. Blaine was so happy that he wrapped his arms about the boy in front of him, lifting him off the ground and spinning them in big circled. Kurt half squealed, half screamed as he clutched tightly to Blaine's shoulders until he was set down on the ground again.

"You're so immature," Kurt giggled, a little dizzily as he tried to stand up straight.

"I know!" Blaine took Kurt's hand again and skipped happily down the trail like a five-year old on crack. "Isn't it great?"

Kurt had a feeling Blaine wasn't referring to him acting like a child.

"It's really great," Kurt whispered just before Blaine moved in to catch Kurt's lips between his own.

_AN: Hooray! They're together now! Or at least, FOR NOW! Remember folks, if you've read the summary of this story, you'll find that I am going to break up our boys sooner or later. But alas, let's go back to the summary of the story. They will be meeting again in the future! So don't try to be too upset, for our boys will meet again! And who knows? Maybe they'll just get back together. You never know. Thanks for reading!_


	12. Heights

_HELLO FELLO READERS, DID ANYONE SEE THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE? I went the very first day it came out, after school my friends and I hopped on a bus that took us to the theatre and I swear, I haven't been that excited for a movie since Harry Potter and the DH part 2. The movie was absolutely astounding! It was so much better than I thought it was going to be. I thought the actors did a lovely job and everything was how I pictured it. I cried really loudly at the part when Rue died, and I swear you could hear me sobbing through the theatre. If you're a Hunger Games fan, you need to see this movie, which I'm sure you will. It was truly spectacular...but make sure to read the books first before you watch it! Enjoy the chapter. (:_

When Kurt told his friends he was now officially dating Blaine after he'd gone out on his walk, the group was ecstatic. It turned out that there was a large percentage of the group that was hoping and predicting that the boys would get together, since, as Puck claims, they were "having eye-sex every five seconds."

But secretly, Rachel felt a little worried for her friend. After all, summer romances never really did last. Rachel herself did have many summer romances with her boyfriend Finn since they broke up and made up so many times, but that was alright since they eventually started to date again later on in the year. But Kurt was about to move to New York City in the next month or so. If he and Blaine broke up, that's it. They wouldn't be able to meet up again any time soon or see each other every day. Rachel just didn't want Kurt to start off pursuing his dream with a broken heart.

"Kurt," Rachel said when the New Directions were all making loud, sarcastic remarks about how Blaine and Kurt were going to go at it like rabbits later on. "Can I talk to you privately, please?"

"Sure," Kurt replied, as they moved into an empty bedroom. Rachel swiftly turned around, sending her skirt and long hair whipping in Kurt's direction. She also folded her hands neatly together and cleared her throat before speaking. Usually when Rachel did these kinds of movements, it meant she wanted to talk about something serious.

"So, about you and Blaine," Rachel started, but Kurt cut in.

"Rachel, we aren't even in high school anymore. The Warblers and the New Directions aren't going to be competing against each other in a show choir competition any time soon. So don't tell me that I'm not allowed to see him because he might spy on our performances and steal ideas of whatever, because I'm not dating the enemy."

Rachel shook her head. "No, Kurt, that's not what I was going to say. I was going to remind you how we-_both of us_- are going to move to New York City in about one and a half months. And this is the time you choose to start a relationship?"

"Blaine is special," Kurt pushed. He didn't sound offended or anything, he was just trying to make Rachel realize that this wasn't a bad choice.

"I know Kurt, but you only just met him. He seems sweet and all, and I have nothing against the poor boy, but if this ends badly at the end of the summer, you're going to have one mess of a start once we get to NYADA. Just look at _The Notebook_ and _Grease_. Summer romances never last. We bawled our eyes out to those movies at Mercedes's slumber party, remember?"

"The couples in those movies got back together, Rachel," Kurt noted.

"That's not my point. What I'm saying is that you need to protect your heart when it comes to Blaine. He's not some slimy old jerk, but he is only available to you for a short amount of time before college comes."

"I know this is just a silly summer romance," Kurt sighed. "But I really, really like Blaine. He's cute and funny and he's talented. That's all I've ever wanted in a boy, so please, even if it lasts a second, please just let me have this?"

Rachel paused, eyeing her friend before exhaling slowly. "Fine. Just...be careful with what you guys do, alright?"

"Yeah. We'll be fine." Kurt gave his friend a smile before hugging her and heading back into the more populated room.

The next day was completely different for Kurt and Blaine. While the past few weeks were usually spent with friendly conversations and walks, now it was spent with small giggles and kisses. It was s strange sensation for both of them, since neither of them have actually had experience in this field before. But it was also thrilling. Kurt swore that every time Blaine's mouth collided with his own, he heard the most incredible orchestra play the most magnificent symphony at the back of his mind.

While everyone was swimming around in the lukewarm water one evening as the sun was going down, Kurt and Blaine decided to take a short walk along the lake (which caused everyone to whistle loudly and make some rather promiscuous comments.) They walked side by side with their hands just barely brushing, talking as the sun slowly began to turn a rosy pink color until Blaine noticed something.

"Hey, look," Blaine pointed to a tiny little cliff next to some trees. The boys hadn't even noticed that they'd been walking uphill into the forest. Kurt hated the ideas of outdoors and forests, but he must've just been so distracted with Blaine lately that he couldn't care less.

"Wow, a cliff," Kurt said in a monotone voice. Blaine playfully rolled his eyes.

"This must mean we've been walking upward," Blaine stated. "I wonder how high we are."

Blaine walked to the edge of the cliff, looking down into the water. It wasn't really that high up at all, not enough to kill yourself or even get seriously injured if someone fell over it. But just enough to get scared and an adrenaline rush if you jumped off. Blaine realized that he hadn't been swimming in a couple of days, and suddenly...

"Hey!" Blaine excitedly turned to Kurt, whom he realized had walked right next to him.

"Hey," Kurt replied.

"Jump off this cliff with me."

Kurt laughed very loudly. "No."

"Please? C'mon, Kurt, it'll be so much fun!"

"No," Kurt said again. "Are you crazy? We'll die. And I just washed this outfit."

"We won't die! There's barely even enough room for us _to _fall. Don't couples do crazy stuff like this?"

"Couples who desperately need therapy, maybe," Kurt laughed. "Why do you want to commit suicide so badly?"

"I am not going to kill myself," Blaine said, "And it just seems like fun. Now, you can tell people that you fell off a cliff and survived without any wounds. Just to say you did it!"

"I don't even have a bathing suit," Kurt shook his head, and before he could even begin to muster up his thoughts, Blaine was peeling his shirt off right there, now only left in his light blue shorts. Kurt's brain was frozen for a brief second before he laughed it off, hoping Blaine didn't notice his blank stare at the obvious mussels on his chest and stomach.

"Don't think you're going to be getting any just because you're half naked, Blaine," Kurt observed, mentally smacking himself for his choice of words.

"Oh, that's what I intended on doing, sweetheart," Blaine winked. "Now come on. This will be fun."

"Like I said before, I don't have a bathing suit."

"Just go in your underwear, then."

"What?"

Blaine instantly felt bad. "Oh, I'm sorry... that probably sounded really forward. You don't have to."

"It's not that," Kurt shook his head, "It's just... swimming in underwear usually isn't something I'd do. Swimming at all isn't something I'd do."

Blaine just laughed, taking a step towards Kurt. "You don't have to be nervous around me. I won't let you die or anything. But I won't force you or push you off if that's what you want."

Kurt's eyes narrowed slightly at his boyfriend, just staring at him as if to say something. But then, the corner's of Kurt's lips just lifted slightly into a little smirk, and then there he was, reaching down to pull his shirt up over his head and to loosen the button on his jeans.

Blaine was pretty sure his heart stopped. The first time he saw Kurt, he knew he was gorgeous with features so captivating that you just couldn't bring yourself to look away. But now that he was seeing the unexplored, newly-exposed parts of Kurt's body, the wide but curved shoulders, the skin as creamy as a peach from his small tan, the hip and calf mussels that highlighted his body... Blaine didn't have anything to add. Kurt was bewitchingly graceful.

Blaine swallowed. Now, instead of jumping off a cliff, he just wanted to hold Kurt's unsheltered body against his own and find out if there were any placed where they could fit like a puzzle piece. Not in the dirty way, of course, but just to see if their bodies were made for each other's and could easily slide side-by-side comfortably. But Blaine wasn't going to do that, because Kurt had already taken his clothes off. Most of them, anyway.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Kurt pressed a hand to his cheek and giggled. Blaine stood in front of Kurt and held his arms backward out.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked.

"Jump on!" Blaine yelled. He figured it was better to have Kurt on his back, because then he wouldn't be too distracted from the sculpted body behind him.

"You actually _are _crazy," Kurt observed, saying it more factly than as an insult.

"I know," Blaine said, "But haven't you ever wanted some handsome young man such as myself to romantically carry you of into the sunset and then jump off a cliff into the water below?"

Kurt laughed. "No, not really. I'm sure my bucket list included Taylor Lautner and I having relations on a dewy meadow of lilacs, not this."

And then, Kurt hopped up onto Blaine's back, the weight practically feeling like nothing to Blaine. Kurt's legs wrapped around Blaine's waist from the back, his arms around his shoulders. He put his lips right up to Blaine's ear and whispered,

"But I guess you'll do."

Blaine just shuddered. He could feel every inch of Kurt's smooth and slightly toned chest being compressed against his back, warm skin on warm skin, and Blaine just wanted to lie backwards to revel himself in the sensation. He hooked his elbows under Kurt's knees and lifted him a bit higher up so that he could sit comfortably. Blaine stepped back a bit so he could get a good running start.

"Please don't kill us, Blaine," Kurt spoke into the tanned skin of Blaine's shoulder blade.

"I won't as long as you don't let go," Blaine kindly reassured. "Don't be scared, alright? I've got you. We'll be fine, trust me. Okay?"

"Okay," Kurt said, kissing the back of Blaine's shoulder before squeezing his eyes shut.

"One," Blaine called out, "Two..."

"THREE!" The both of them shouted out loud until they felt the earth disappear from beneath Blaine's were suspended in the air for a few short seconds before the water rushed up to meet them. The boys screamed happily at the top of their lungs, Kurt's heart racing fiercely in his chest. But not the bad kind. The really excellent kind where nothing else in the world matters except for the one moment.

With a loud splash, the boys landed into the water. There was nothing but the sound of thickness plugging their ears. Water had an odd sound. It's like it had a very deep, bass voice that seemed to ring all around you, but at the same time there was a silence that echoed throughout your brain. When the boys emerged, loudly gasping for air and flicking hair out of their eyes, they took one long look at each other and then laughed thunderously.

Kurt swam into Blaine's open arms, where Kurt wrapped his legs around Blaine's torso and his arms around his neck. Feeling rather brave today, Kurt nuzzled his nose against Blaine's, which made Blaine laugh. God, Kurt could have listened to that little sexy chuckle and look into those gorgeous, sunny eyes all day.

"Well," Blaine said, "That was fun."

"Extremely dangerous and quite stupid, but yes, fun."

"I told you we wouldn't die."

"Maybe we are dead and these are just our ghosts."

"Ghost aren't able to do this," Blaine whispered, just before steadily moving in towards Kurt and kissing his wet lips. Kurt tried his absolute best not to moan or make any noises, but it turned out that he was not capable to doing that, since he released a small, needy whimper. Blaine practically melted into the water at the sound. This was the most feverish out of all the kisses they had so far, each gentle suck becoming more and more warmer and intense than the last.

When they broke apart, the waves gently splashing around them, Blaine said,

"You're really beautiful."

And Kurt could fry eggs with the amount of warmth spreading over his face, because no one had ever called him that word before. So Kurt just smiled and kissed Blaine once again, tightening his grip around his body and allowing the gentle ripples of water to encircle them.

It was going to be a pain in the ass to have to walk back up and retrieve their clothes, which would be wet once they put them back on. But this was perfect, for now.


	13. Confusion

_Hey everyone, quick AN! I am so sorry that this chapter is so short. I've been so busy lately with homework and preparing for a trip to Florida, so I've had no time to write. On my laptop, this thing isn't even two pages, so I'm so sorry if this is a little disappointing. I promise next time will be a better chapter, though!_

Kurt stood in front of the bathroom mirror, still dressed in his sleep clothes with his hair a complete mess and his cheeks still rosy from just waking up. Everyone else in the house was still asleep. It was quite early in the morning to be up at, with the sun only just beginning to rise up. But after a very pleasant dream that caused Kurt to rouse, he just couldn't get back to sleep. Kurt examined himself carefully in the mirror.

He gingerly lifted his hand and brought his fingers to his lips, tracing the smile spread across his face. This was so silly. It was so foolish to be as ditzy and as love-stuck as Kurt was. But he didn't care. This emotion just seemed to take over his body, and he didn't mind one bit.

Kurt did think about what Rachel told him. He didn't want to get too attached to Blaine in case things did go wrong before college. Kurt felt like he was moving too fast with Blaine. This didn't have to be a bad thing if only they weren't going to school in a few weeks. There were only about four more weeks left of their summer vacation, and things with Blaine were great. But that didn't mean that they couldn't change.

Kurt wanted to do everything in his power to make sure he could keep in touch with Blaine. Blaine was just one of those people that you really wanted to be friends with. His happy vibe made him easy to talk to, and his sense of humor and great taste in music wasn't so bad, either.

Kurt blinked a few times in the mirror, squeezing his eyes shut so hard that he began to see colors. He exhaled, his suddenly content mood shifting to something a little more serious. Kurt had to think about the consequences and options here. Once he moved to New York, he was bound to meet plenty of cute, artistic, single guys there. He wasn't going to cheat on Blaine if he was still in a relationship with him by then, but he was only human and temptation could be hard to resist.

He knew he'd get distracted with his school work. That's one thing that was certain. Kurt understood that NYADA only accepted about 20 students per year, and he was lucky enough to have even gotten in. So he assumed that the school was going to put a lot of pressure on him, piling him with homework, assignments, and other time-consuming things that would hopefully help Kurt reach his Broadway dream. Ultimately, this could mean not getting to spend any time with Blaine, which could lead to neglecting, anger, arguments, and then a break-up. That was the last thing Kurt wanted to put Blaine through. He didn't want to make Blaine think that he was ignoring him, or that he'd reached the top and didn't need Blaine anymore. He knew that Blaine deserved so much more than that, and that he needed to protect his heart, and that Kurt loved and cared abou-

Wait, what? Kurt was in love with Blaine.

The gigantic train of realization just seemed to smack Kurt in the side of the head as he stood there, sleepily staring into the mirror. Yes, he was in love with Blaine, and he had fallen hard and fast.

No. Kurt didn't want to be in love with Blaine. This had to be some sort of mistake. He knew that this was going to end terribly. Was it even possible to fall in love with someone after only a couple of weeks? Kurt read somewhere online once that if you had a crush on someone for longer than four months, then it automatically turned into love. Kurt knew that this was wrong, because he certainly couldn't deny what feelings he was having right now. It was even noticeable in the mirror. Kurt's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, his eyes became wider with the comprehension of having fallen in love with Blaine, his lips curved up into a small smile.

But he didn't want to feel this way. He didn't want to put his career and Blaine's feelings in jeopardy. It just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how he had to fall in love at the most inconvenient time of the year. Shutting his eyes, Kurt sat down on the tiled floor, puffing his cheeks out and rubbing his temple.

He just didn't know what to do.


	14. The Almost First

_Hi kids. I forgot to mention that another reason why I haven't been updating lately is because I just finished a really great novel, Divergent by Veronica Roth. Its SO good. Has anyone read it? The sequel comes out next month and I'm just going to keep reading it over and over again until the sequel comes out. It's another one of those dystopian-futuristic kind of books, almost like The Hunger Games. Anyway, I highly recommend that book to anyone who hasn't read it. Who knows? Maybe a certain pointlessfangirl will one day write a fic based on it? ;) Enjoy the chap!_

The long, summer days were now narrowed down to about only three more weeks left of summer vacation.

And to be honest, it really kind of hurt Kurt.

He always used to be so excited about starting college, the place that would test his abilities and help him reach the goal he's always wanted. After meeting Blaine however, there was no way he could deny the feeling of attachment that he'd developed over these past few weeks. He wish that he could somehow reverse this unbreakable spell he seemed to be put under. But the deed was done...it was now irrevocable.

_Stop_, he would tell himself. Blaine is just a boy. _You'll still be able to keep contact with him once you go to school. You're not in love, you're not, you're not, you're not._

But he was.

Blaine felt the same way. It was like there was a deep pit in his throat, ready to cave in on itself once he had to say goodbye to Kurt. Hopefully not a permanent goodbye. After all, in only the first few weeks of staying at the house near the lake, they'd stuck together like glue. It didn't seem fair that this was the time Blaine had chosen to start a relationship.

One afternoon, the boys were enjoying an afternoon in Blaine's bedroom, flipping through some magazines and watching some over-hyped drama show on the television in Blaine's room. And even though neither of them wanted to say it, they knew they were both terrified that the end of the summer was drawing nearer.

"Oh my god, she did not just wear these shoes with that dress," Kurt pointed to a glossy picture of a faceless celebrity in the VOGUE magazine he was holding. He crinkled his nose in disgust. "It doesn't match her skin tone at all and that outfit is making her baby bump look ten times the size of the planet earth."

Blaine chuckled, his chin resting on his knee, which was brought up to his chest. "You freak out way too much about these things."

"I do not. In fact, I bring attention to issues that should be addressed."

"Commenting on a woman's shoes is an issue?"

"You bet it is. I should make a company: Kurt Hummel's fashion police, helping average and hideously unstylish people all over the world."

Blaine just snorted again. "I'd have to be your first customer."

"The hair gel should go. But other than that, you're pretty cute."

"Pretty cute, hmm?" Blaine inched his face closer to Kurt's, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. "Is that all."

"Well, you're alright," Kurt teased back. "A little short for my standards, but you'll be fine."

"I'm not _that_ short," Blaine grumbled, and Kurt giggled.

"Whatever you say, schnookums," Kurt ruffled Blaine's hair with the hand that wasn't holding the magazine page. Blaine leaned in to gently peck Kurt's lips.

Kurt's smile faded a little. "Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm nervous. For college."

"But I thought you wanted to go. You can't seem to stop talking about it."

"I _do_ want to go, more than anything. But that doesn't mean I can't be scared." Kurt sighed and rolled over onto his back, the magazine now sitting by his side.

"Getting into a fancy school and receiving high grades doesn't make me any better than the other hundreds of people sharing the same dream as me. And they don't always come true, you know. I just feel like I have a lot to give and I'm not going to be able to give it if people don't acknowledge what I'm capable of."

Blaine looked down at his boyfriend thoughtfully. It was terrible that Kurt was feeling this way, and he had no clue what he was feeling. Having your dreams crumble to pieces right in front of you was not an easy thing to witness. He reached his hand over and placed in on the small of Kurt's back, pulling him closer. He could feel Kurt's back mussels underneath his light sweater.

"Then I think you need to work the hardest you can," Blaine replied after a minute. "I'm going to agree with you that it's hard as hell to get what you want. But you are amazing, Kurt, and I can't wait for the day that all your hard work pays off. And hopefully, when you get to the place where you finally want to be, you know what I'm gonna do?"

"What?" Kurt asked.

"I'm buying front row tickets to the opening night of your debut show, and I'll be there cheering you on, and I'm going to say that I knew you could do it. Because you have it in you, Kurt."

Kurt smiled up at Blaine, a smile that was so full of hopeful and cautious joy. Kurt kissed Blaine on the cheek before speaking again.

"What about us? We're going to be separated for a really long time once we go our own ways. But I don't think I want to break-up or anything."

"Neither do I," Blaine shook his head. "And I'm sure we can figure something out. We live in a new era where skype, internet chatting and cellular devices exist, you know. I'm sure it won't be hard for me to hear the sound of your voice."

Kurt smiled, tracing along Blaine's arm with his fingertip without even realizing what he was doing.

"You're everything, Kurt. I have so much faith in you."

Kurt rested his palm against Blaine's bicep. He wanted to say the words so badly. Just those three, vapid and incredibly meaningful words. It was a secret he just couldn't keep anymore. It seemed like the perfect place to say it: the boys were alone with everyone running around outside, the sun was slowly starting to go down, and the atmosphere of the room was just so warm and comfortable. I love you, Blaine. That's all Kurt had to say. I love you.

He couldn't do it.

Not now, not so soon, not when Kurt was about to leave Blaine's side in just a couple of weeks. The words were banging on an imaginary door in Kurt's mind, begging to be let out. But he just couldn't do it. Plus, the fear of not hearing them back sounded like torture.

So instead of telling Blaine, he just grabbed the back of Blaine's neck and kissed him. _I'm sorry_, Kurt said to Blaine in his mind, and through his kiss. Blaine was taken a little by surprise, to be honest, but he'd accept the feeling of Kurt's lips on his own any day. He moved is arm to gently drape around Kurt's waist, sighing.

The next thing the boys knew, Blaine was carefully moving over Kurt to hover above him, his palms pressing into the mattress. The magazine by Kurt's side fell off of the bed and landed with the flapping noise of pages. But Kurt didn't even care about the magazine, he just kept on kissing Blaine. And he was happy to know that Blaine still wanted to kiss him.

Things started to get a little bit warmer in the room after a few seconds. Blaine didn't lay all of his weight onto Kurt in fear of crushing him, but that fear disappeared when he felt Kurt's hand reach up and tug his shirt closer. His body was now pressed onto Kurt's, and he could hear the quick beating of Kurt's heart as their lips moved on.

Blaine kissed every part of Kurt's face. His closed eyelids, his cheek, the tip of his ski-slope nose, and lastly his forehead, before returning back to his lips. One of Kurt's knees lifted upwards just a tiny bit, but it was enough to completely turn Blaine on. Just seeing Kurt so vulnerable beneath him, but also so sure of what he wanted. He knew the raising of a knee shouldn't be _that _sexy... but hell, it was Kurt.

Blaine's placed his hand underneath the back of Kurt's knee, not hitching it upwards, but just wanting to feel him. He dragged his fingers under Kurt's thin calf before taking the hand away and cupping his cheek. Kurt's arms wound gently around Blaine's shoulders, his finger nails scratching at the material of his shirt.

Sucking in a deep breath, Blaine moved hips lips to Kurt's collarbone and kissed it, whispering something sweetly.

"Kurt," Blaine nearly whimpered. It was light making out at it's best, but still, Kurt's head swam. In the good and bad way.

"Blaine?" Kurt softly spoke into Blaine's ear. His cheeks were slightly pink and his heart was just starting to speed up before he pulled away to talk.

"Hmmm?" Blaine was paying attention, but his lips were still resting on Kurt's throat. His breath coasted along Kurt's skin, making him shudder.

"I...U-um..." Kurt tried to make his words come out, but he just kept sputtering them into incompletely words. Somehow, Blaine just felt the sense.

"Sorry," Blaine lifted his head from Kurt's chest. "Did that make you uncomfortable?"

"Oh no," Kurt gently stroke the side of Blaine's head. "It was...amazing. But as lovely as that was, I just...I don't think I'm ready for _that_ yet."

"Oh," Blaine deflated like a balloon. It wasn't because he wanted to try and get into Kurt's pants anyway, but he did feel like it was his fault for making them stop.

"Blaine, you did everything right," Kurt nuzzled his nose against Blaine's, trying to make him feel better. "It felt great, trust me. Just...maybe we should take things a little slower? I don't mind doing this. Not at all. But, I'm not exactly ready for that kind of...intimacy yet. Not yet. Is that...alright?"

"Of course it's alright, Kurt," Blaine said, smiling. "I mean, I'm sure I'm not ready for that yet either. And if anything makes either one of us comfortable, we'll tell each other. Deal?"

"Deal," Kurt sealed his mouth shut against Blaine's. "You just make me really happy."

"As do you," Blaine replied, before capturing Kurt's mouth in his own once more. They giggled loudly, and after a while they went back downstairs to spend the evening with their cat-calling, obnoxious friends who were giving each other piggy backs on the grass and tossing around a frisbee.

For some reason, Kurt didn't feel so confused anymore. For the time being.


	15. Father Knows Best

_Quick notes for this chapter: I know that in my old stories I made Blaine's parents divorced, but in this one they're still married. Also, Blaine's Dad isn't as homophobic and close-minded as he was in my other stories. He might not be as welcoming as Burt, but he's getting there._

Time was narrowing. Kurt and Blaine spent as much time as possible together before the summer came to an abrupt halt. For some reason, the talk that the boys had about taking the intimacy levels of their relationship had somehow strengthened their bonds. Despite their trust in one another, Kurt just didn't have enough courage to tell Blaine how he really felt about him. Which, of course, was love.

So instead of professing his words, Kurt decided that it was much better to build up the relationship into a giant crescendo, waiting for a more appropriate moment. In the meantime, the warm weather and late nights down by the lake occupied them plenty.

One night after eating dinner with Wes, David, Nick and Jeff, Blaine's phone went off. It was a call from his Dad, so Blaine cleared his plate (right after David and Jeff fought over who was going to chomp down on Blaine's left overs) and answered the call. He'd spoken to his mom and dad only a few times since arriving at the lake, but to be honest...he never really mentioned Kurt. And he felt pretty guilty about it.

Blaine clicked on the phone and pressed his ear up to the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hello son," Blaine's father, Charles, said. "How's it going? Having fun?"

"Yeah, everything is great, Dad," Blaine replied. "Where's Mom?"

"She's out running errands right now. So, two weeks until you come home, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Are you nervous about college?"

"Terrified. I don't know what I'm going to do when I get there."

"Just focus on your studies and you'll be fine. So, what have you boys been up to, lately?"

Blaine's lips pursed into a line, the pang of guilt once again stabbing his chest. He knew he should have told his parents sooner about Kurt, but he'd just been so distracted lately that he couldn't find any time too.

"Actually," Blaine started, "We met these kids down by the water. They went to McKinley, you know that public school? And we've been hanging out with them a lot. They're pretty nice kids."

"Kids? You've never mentioned them before," Charles noted.

"They came just a few weeks ago," Blaine lied.

"That's nice, son. Made any new friends?"

"Yeah, tons. The kids are really funny. Actually, Dad, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Uh oh. This better not be bad news, Blaine. You know how I feel when the five of you boys are alone together."

Blaine smiled. "No Dad, it doesn't involve them. It involves one of the kids from McKinley. A boy."

"Oh. Go on," Blaine was glad that his father didn't sound angry. Slowly, after a while of feeling awkward around his son, he started to become more and more accepting each day after Blaine came out. Charles wasn't a super-dad, but he was progressing.

"I know I should have told you this sooner, but um, I'm actually sort of...going out with this kid. His name is Kurt."

"Going out? With a boy you've only know for a few weeks?" Charles said. "That doesn't sound very wise, Blaine."

"Dad. It's not like we hooked up on the first day. We were friends before and everything, and I don't know. I feel like he's really nice and I might even want to continue this after I go to college."

"Son, you know I approve of you. I'm just warning you: don't come crying to me if something go's wrong with the two of you while you're away at school. And won't this boy become a distraction to your studies?"

"He's going to an arts school in New York, Dad," Blaine rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that he's not going to be the one distracting me."

"New York? Going to school there is pretty tough." Charles sighed. "I don't think now would be the best time to be in a relationship, son. I'm not doubting that he's a nice kid, because I know you and I know you wouldn't pick some floozy from a handful of kids you don't even know. I'm just trying to say that school and distance is going to come between you both, and long-distance relationships are never easy to obtain."

Blaine's eyebrows knitted together. "So you're saying I should break up with him?"

"No. I'm leaving that up to you to decide. If you want to be with this Kurt fella, that's fine with me. But just don't be too upset if things end quickly between you two. Distance can either bring two people together, or tear them apart."

Blaine nodded. "I understand. Thanks, Dad."

"Just give it some thought, Blaine."

"I will."

"Okay. I'll talk to you later. Goodnight, son."

"Talk to you later, Dad."

His father hung up first, and Blaine could hear the dead ringing noise coming from the receiver. He sighed, lying back onto his bed and chucking his phone onto a pillow. Blaine thought about the words his father had just told him.

Maybe he was right. Maybe being in a relationship at this time was stupid and pointless. He knew it was going to be hard to keep it going after the summer, he knew that long ago. But now, the reality was hitting him like a train: they were going to leave once the summer was over, and school would take the place of humid, sunny days.

But Blaine didn't want to end things with Kurt. Not right now, at least. He was having way too much fun when he was in the presence of him. Kurt glowed of beauty and spirit, making Blaine want to hold on and never let go.

There were many pro's and con's that could probably be made into a novel for this situation, but right now, Blaine's head was scrambled with fuzzy thoughts and voices. He decided he needed some time to think about what his Dad had told him.

_Distance can either bring two people together, or tear them apart._


	16. The Disassemble

When a great piece of advice is offered to you, you can't help but revise it over in your mind. It's like those words are constantly twirling in that vast mind of yours, always telling you how to do something. This was how Blaine felt after he talked to his father a couple of days ago.

Even though Blaine was staying at the house for about another week or so, Kurt was getting ready to leave in about five days, because that's when he and his friends had planned to leave. Every time Blaine thought about it, there was a giant sting right in the center of his heart. Blaine adored Kurt very dearly. It seemed like a hundred years ago since he first sang to Kurt by the lake that night, even though it was only a few weeks ago. Blaine did not want to end things off with Kurt, not one bit.

But sometimes, listening to your head is more sensible than listening to your heart.

When Blaine thought about Kurt, it was like everything around him froze in place and the only thing he needed to focus on was his breathing. Thinking about the cerulean, glittering eyes, his warm smile and the little dimples he got on his cheeks when he made the action, his high pitched laugh that reminded Blaine of wind chimes, the soft whispers of affection after a kiss. Blaine was going to miss all of it so much when he would have to go to school.

Why is it that when a really great thing comes into your life, it has to be taken away so quickly?

As the sun was slowly setting down by the water one evening, Blaine sat on the doc, his legs crossed and his guitar snug in his lap. He randomly started plucking some strings that sounded disjunct. Blaine usually worked out his frustration and confusion with music, but even with the beautiful sunset to accompany his work, he just didn't feel any relief. He heard footsteps behind him, creaking on the wooden doc. Blaine could feel the panel boards slightly moving beneath him as a weight settled down next to him.

"Why are you out here all by yourself?" Kurt asked. He hugged his knees to his chest and kissed Blaine on the cheek.

"I needed some time alone," Blaine shrugged. He placed his guitar aside and turned fully to Kurt.

"Is something wrong?" Kurt asked, his eyebrows creasing.

"I'm just really going to miss you, you know." He didn't mean to say it, it just forced its way out.

"Blaine, is that what this is about?" Kurt gave a soft smile and placed a hand gingerly on Blaine's bicep. "Everything is going to be okay. I promise, alright? We'll be fine."

Blaine caught the hand that was touching his arm and help it, sighing as he looked away from Kurt's loving smile to the lake. It rippled slightly and had a pinkish glow from the sunset.

"But what if we're not, Kurt?" Blaine asked. "We're going to be so far apart. You're going to an arts school in New York City, for christ sakes, and I'm staying here. You have so much to look forward to while you're there."

"And you don't?" Kurt said. "You have just as much of a chance of doing something you love than anyone does. Just because you're not going to a school far away from here doesn't mean you don't have anything arranged for the future."

"I know that," Blaine blushed now. "But you do. And so do the hundreds of other great-looking guys do at your school."

Kurt giggled, throwing his head back. It wasn't a mean laugh, not like how a bully would laugh at some scrawny kid for tripping in the hallway. It was a cute, friendly laugh that made Blaine feel guilty and ashamed for acting this way.

"You're so silly, Blaine," Kurt said. "Kurt Hummel is a lot of things. He is a talented, intelligent, bitchy diva who likes nothing more than a good Lady Gaga concert and moisturizing routines that make him feel like he's gotten a new face. But he is not a cheater."

Blaine laughed a little. He rubbed little circles into Kurt's hand. "Of course I know you'd never cheat, Kurt. But I do know that we'll practically never see each other again after this. And I also know that even if this does work out, it'll probably come to an end once we're too busy keeping up with school work and getting a job."

Kurt recoiled like he'd been slapped, immediately causing Blaine to reach out and place a firm hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to be honest."

Kurt gave a sort of sad smile. "I know what you meant. It's okay. I just don't really understand what you're trying to tell me."

He held his breath as Blaine licked his lips and tried to let him down as gently as possible. He knew what was coming next.

"Kurt," Blaine's voice was soft and careful. "You know that I really like you, right?"

Kurt nodded. A lump started to form in his throat. Blaine rubbed his hand up and down Kurt's arm, his other hand still holding Kurt's. It had lost it's grip, and now it lay limp and lifeless in Blaine's hand. _Don't say it. Don't do this to me now. You said you wouldn't._

"You know I care about you so much, Kurt. You know that. Or else I wouldn't have written that song for you and we wouldn't be having this talk right now. You are so, so special to me, and you're going to go so far once you get out of this hellhole. And I'm not going to allow myself to hold you back, sweetheart. I don't want that for you. And I don't want either of us getting distracted while we're away. I just want you to be the happiest you can be."

Kurt didn't cry. He wouldn't let himself. He blinked away the burning sensation behind his eyes, his vision becoming more clearer as he did so.

"You're breaking up with me," Kurt tried to say it like a question, but what was the point? It was a statement, because he already knew the answer.

"I don't want to," Blaine reassured. "But I think we have to...take a break for a while."

Kurt understood what 'take a break' meant. It meant staying away from one another, it meant not contacting, it meant more than just a break. Kurt's first boyfriend. Somebody who he had fallen in love with after only a few weeks on some old, abandoned lake.

"I know you're probably really upset with me," Blaine said. "And I'm sorry. I really am. I never wanted it to end like this."

"I'm not mad at you," Kurt said, and he meant it. How could he be mad at Blaine for giving him the best six weeks of his life? It was just the goodbye that would hurt the most, and last the longest.

"I should have known this was coming," Kurt swallowed, forcing the lump in his throat to go down. "We made stupid promises to each other like it actually meant something. It was just a summer fling."

"It was more than that," Blaine protested. He squeezed Kurt's hand tightly in his own. "It was for me, at least."

Kurt smiled. But it was a broken, reluctant smile. He gently yanked his hand away from Blaine's. Blaine's hand felt empty and cold without it there.

"...You know I don't want to do this," Blaine's voice was on the verge of cracking if he said another word.

"I know," Kurt nodded. His eyes looked so sad and torn, and Blaine just wanted to grab his face and shower it with kisses. But he knew he couldn't, because he knew that they were no longer Kurt and Blaine. Now, he was just Blaine. And Kurt was just Kurt.

"I wish all the best for you," Kurt told him in a hushed voice, too loud to be a whisper, but too quiet to be spoken. "I don't even know why I'm so sad about this. I saw it coming. I should be furious with you right now, but you're lucky that part comes later." Kurt smiled playfully. "You've given me a wonderful six weeks, Blaine."

With one last smile, Kurt leaned over on his knees and gently kissed Blaine on the cheek. That was the moment where Blaine's heart shattered like glass. Even after all of these terrible things were said to him, Kurt still wanted to show his last minute affection for Blaine.

Without thinking, Blaine moved his face over and pressed his mouth hard into Kurt's. It was one, long kiss full of pure emotion and apologies. Blaine could have swore he felt Kurt's soft lips tremble against his own. _Don't cry, _Blaine kept on telling himself.

The boys broke away slowly. And then, almost like he'd never been there, Kurt quietly stood up, walked off of the doc and headed up the grass hill to Santana's house. When he was sure that he was far away enough, Kurt allowed himself to release his tears, the sobs that were locked inside his chest now coming out. But he didn't look back.

Blaine watched Kurt trudge up the hill until he went inside of the house, completely out of sight. He sighed heavily, bowing his head over the doc to stare at his reflection in the water. The creature staring back up at him was distorted, unrecognizable and inhuman from the ridges in the water. Blaine felt like what he saw.

"Dammit," Blaine cursed under his breath, gritting his teeth. This was not fair. Not fair to him, to Kurt, to anyone. He wished he could have met Kurt in ten years from now, strolling down the streets of New York City while grabbing a cup of coffee. Then they could have done whatever the hell they wanted to do without worrying about school falling between them like a stone wall. A barrier.

Blaine watched as one of his tears slid down his face and dropped into the water below. There. One more droplet of water to add to the ocean. Maybe then, Blaine could drown himself for being an asshole in front of the only person he'd ever kissed. Ever cared about with those kinds of feelings.

He grabbed a fistful of his own hair, yanking it so hard that even more tears came to his eyes. Blaine liked it. He wanted every tear in his body to be squeezed out like a wet towel, so he wouldn't have to cry ever again. But the thing about tears is that they never disappear. Pain always just keeps coming back to feed.

Blaine gathered his guitar, slinging it over his back and walking back up to Wes's white mansion.

Honestly, it felt like a living in a cardboard box to Blaine now.


	17. Summer's End

Kurt was in his room with Brittany. A large, black luggage case was sitting on his bed, wide open, and half full with clothing. There was only one day left at Eliot Lake before the New Directions left, and to be honest, Kurt was kind of glad he was going. Maybe this meant he could forget about Blaine more easily.

Brittany folded one of Kurt's long-sleeved shirts, not quite getting it right, so it just lay on Kurt's bed in a crumpled ball. "I forgot how to do it, Kurty."

Kurt smiled. "Here, let me show you." While Kurt was untangling the shirt and smoothing it out on the bed, Brittany asked, "How come you look so sad, Kurt?"

"I'm just upset that we're leaving," he shrugged. He folded up the shirt and placed it into the luggage, his attention focuses on the pair of jeans he was now gathering.

"You've been really sad for the past couple of days, though," Brittany frowned. She sat on Kurt's bed, crossing her legs and placing her chin on the edge of his luggage. She looked up at him like a small child. "What's wrong?"

Kurt sighed, looking away from Brittany's blue, innocent eyes. "Blaine and I broke up."

She gasped. "But why?"

"We decided that it was best if we stopped being in a relationship so that we can focus on our studies at school."

"But you and Blaine were so adorable," Brittany started to cry. "And he was so nice to me...he showed me a special trick on how to tie my shoe laces..."

"Don't cry, Britt!" Kurt crawled over to her on the bed and awkwardly rubbed her back. "Don't cry. It's over now, and we're leaving soon. There's nothing we can do."

"But when you're sad, it makes me sad!" Brittany sobbed. "I feel so terrible now. He was your very first boyfriend. He was the only person besides me who got to make out with you, and that's an honor, seeing as you're a prude and you wouldn't even let me touch your ass."

"That's because you're a_ girl,_ Britt," Kurt said.

"I'm still sad," Brittany wiped away a tear. "It's just not fair. Now you're going to be so sad when you go off to college."

"I'll be fine, Brittany. Don't worry about me." Kurt forced a smile. Brittany leaned over and gave her friend a giant hug, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing tightly. If there's one thing Brittany could do, it was give the best hugs in the world. They almost made you forget about your problems, but only for a little while.

"Don't be sad, Kurt," Britt whispered. "One day you'll find a boy that's even ten times better than Blaine, and he'll be the best kisser in the world. Maybe even better than me."

Kurt laughed. "Thanks Britt."

The next morning, once everybody's luggage was packed and all the eggs and bacon sitting on Santana's dining room table were consumed, it was time for the group to head out. They all stood outside where the two vans they'd taken to get to the lake were parked under a tree.

Puck ran out into the grass, throwing is arms out. "Hasta La Vista, Eliot Lake! You've been a bitch full of mosquito bites and sun burns!"

"Shut it, Puckerman," Santana snapped. "You're going to wake every wild animal's ass."

The New Directions weren't the only ones outside. Wes, David, Jeff, Nick, and even Blaine were all standing outside, getting ready to say goodbye. Maybe of the boys slapped each other's hands and pumped fists, while the girl's got friendly hugs. There were plenty of:

"Call me, you have my number."

"You can find me on Facebook."

"It's been a wild ride with you punks."

"Nice meeting you, wish you all the best."

"Hope to see you again soon!"

With all the commotion going on, the only thing that Blaine seemed to be paying attention to was Kurt, who was just kind of hanging around near the van and not saying anything. Blaine's heart was split in the middle with a searing pain. He wasn't ready to let Kurt go yet. More than anything, Blaine wanted to run up to him and kiss him hard on the mouth, just at least one last time. But Blaine knew that Kurt probably hated him now for breaking things off so early and abruptly.

It was too late. By the time Blaine actually convened enough courage to go and talk to Kurt, Puck was getting into the front seat of one of the van's and starting up the engine.

"C'mon dude," Puck called to Kurt. "We're leaving now."

Kurt took one last look at the clear, vast lake. This was probably going to be the last time he'd ever see it, because there was no way in hell he was coming back to Lima after college. But there was just some sort of sadness, looking out at the water. The past six weeks played out for him like a movie. And now, it was over.

Kurt climbed into the van and found himself sitting next to Rachel. He told Rachel about what had happened with Blaine immediately after it occurred, so he was still fresh with tears. But Rachel didn't make a snobby comment like "I told you so" or something like that. Instead, she called Mercedes into the room, and she let Kurt tell them the whole story while she rubbed his back.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concerned eyes, taking his hand. Kurt smiled.

"I'm fine. I just want to get out of here."

Mercedes was on the other side of Rachel, and she leaned over, patting Kurt's knee. "Don't worry, baby. It'll be better over time. You'll see."

Santana stood outside, facing Wes. She smiled at him.

"It's been fun and all, but I think we better head off," she said.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around then." They shook hands.

"Take it easy, Warbler."

Santana gave a little wave with her hand still stuck into her short's pocket, her thumb lodged inside with her four fingers waggling out. She climbed into one of the two vans and they started up at the same time, their engines roaring to life.

Blaine just wished that the vehicles could have broken down right then and there.

He watched Kurt through the window of the van. He looked so beautiful. Blaine just wished he could go wherever Kurt was going at the moment. In his mind, Blaine just kept begging over and over, _Look this way. Please Kurt, just look this way. Look at me._

But he didn't look.

Instead, the vans started to move off of the rocky trail and out of the forest to where the paved roads would be, leading the group of misfits to their destinations. Or in Kurt's case, and airport.

Puck laughed, his hand dangling out the window. He made a peace sign with his fingers towards the boys, honking his horn as loud as he could. The boys wolf-whistled and cheered, a final goodbye. Blaine kept watching the vans drive away until they were just two little specks that disappeared into the evergreen forest. He swallowed back the lump in his throat.

_Just come back, Kurt. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

Blaine didn't even notice that his friends were talking amongst themselves until Wes came up behind him and lay a hand on Blaine's tensed shoulder.

"Hey," Wes asked, "Are you okay?"

Blaine nodded.

The worst part was, there was still a week left for him before he'd have to leave for college as well. So until the time came for him and his friends to pack up their belongings and drive away, he'd have to wake up to the memories of Kurt sitting by the lake every morning, just waiting for him to come out and say,

"_Good morning Blaine. How are you today?"_


	18. Farewell, Ohio

There were two airplanes leaving at the same time.

One of them was heading towards New York City. The other was flying a couple hours outside of Westerville, Ohio.

Burt woke his son up very early in the morning to drive him to the airport. In three days from now, the new school semester would start, and Kurt would be attending NYADA with Rachel.

Saying goodbye to his Dad, Carole and Finn had been really hard. He was going to miss them so much while he was away, and even though he'd be able to visit them during holidays and call them on the phone, it just wouldn't be the same. Before boarding and checking customs, Burt enveloped Kurt into a giant bear hug. Usually Kurt got kind of embarrassed when his old man hugged him in public, but now, he couldn't get enough.

"I'm so proud of you, buddy," Burt said, patting his son on the shoulder. "I believe in you. Remember: no one pushes the Hummel's around. You do great things over there, you hear me?"

"Yeah, Dad," Kurt sniffed, trying to blink back his tears. "I love you."

"I love you too, kiddo."

Rachel arrived at the airport on time, and after launching herself into Finn's arms and sobbing like crazy, the two boarded onto the plane with joined hands. Kurt couldn't really believe he was doing this. He was one step closer to making his dreams come true.

It had been about a week and five days since Kurt last saw Blaine. So many times, Kurt flipped out his phone ad just stared at Blaine's number programmed into the screen. He ached to press the call button and just cry into the receiver until the sound of Blaine's soft, warm voice came on. But he couldn't do that. They were done.

Kurt took his seat on the plane next to Rachel. Outside the window, the sun was just starting to rise. He placed his carry on item below the seat in front of him and crossed his legs, sighing. Kurt was still heavy with sleep, but thankfully Rachel's blabbering about how much fun it would be on Broadway kept him awake.

The engine of the plane turned on, and the last few remaining people who just got onto it sat down. There was an announcement.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman, and thank you for choosing Lima Heights Airways. We will de departing in about five minutes. Please turn off all electronic devices until advised to turn them on again. Thank you."

Kurt took his phone out of his pocket. He replied to some last minute texts: some from his Dad, Carole, Finn, and a few of his ND friends, all of the messages wishing him good luck and to have a safe flight. Kurt smiled as he scrolled through them.

The last time Kurt had texted Blaine was during their late nights at the lake. He missed laughing out loud while everyone else was sleeping, reading Blaine's texts. Kurt just looked at his screen, staring at the word _Blaine _with his number written next to it. Kurt sighed, once again trying to swallow back the lump in his throat.

"Excuse me, sir?" a flight attendant appeared by Kurt's side. "Could you please turn off your phone? We'll be flying shortly."

"Sure," Kurt said, and the flight attendant walked away. Kurt blinked again, staring at his phone before he hit the erase button next to Blaine's number.

Maybe he could move on, pursue his dream. He didn't have to be sad little Kurt Hummel who got his heart broken constantly. He was going to become someone new. Someone who didn't open his heart as easily, someone who fought for his dream.

The plane started to move.

**MEANWHILE**

Blaine huffed out his frustration, flopping down in his seat on the plane. The girl next to him was sleeping, so unfortunately, he had to sit in the aisle where the annoying refreshment cart would keep hitting him in the elbows.

His parents had dropped him off at the airport, his mother in tears and his Dad looking proud. He wouldn't be seeing Westerville or his parents for a long time. Hopefully he could still stay in contact with his friends, but for now, he'd just have to concentrate on getting high grades.

Blaine's phone beeped and vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out, turned it on, and read the message sent from Wes:_ have a safe flight and call me when u get there!_

Blaine smiled and just typed a quick thank you. He ended up just scrolling through his list of contacts really quickly before turning his phone off. And then he saw Kurt's name. Blaine scratched at his curls, which her still a little messy from just waking up. He sucked on his bottom lip, contemplating whether he should just freaking call or text him already. Blaine didn't know why he was being so scared and shy around Kurt. It wasn't like Kurt was a stuck up celebrity who wouldn't talk to Blaine in a million years. He was just a boy with a dream. A beautiful, silly, over sensitive boy who Blaine loved.

"Fuck," Blaine muttered under his breath. He lay his head all the way back on the headrest. Blaine was in love with Kurt. He dug his fingernails into his arm, creating little marks, punishing himself for being so oblivious and blind and late. Now, after he had broken up with Kurt and was about to leave home on an airplane, this was the time he finally realized what was in front of him the whole time.

Blaine wanted to scream and cry and throw a tantrum like he was 3. He felt terrible. Egregious feelings were swimming in his stomach, down his throat and in his mind. He really was in love with Kurt. He was mad over that face, those eyes, that voice...and now he was never going to see it again.

The phone felt like a heavy weight used in a gymnasium. Now there was no possible way he could call Kurt. There was no way he was going to take Blaine back. He imagine Kurt's reaction if he called him now, just as his plane was about to take flight, to say "I love you." Kurt probably would have started screaming and cussing at him from the other line. He didn't blame him. Blaine would have been infuriated if it had happened to him.

Blaine breathed in through his nose, exhaling deeply and trying go get all of the negative momentum out of his body. In just a few hours, he would be at the campus for his new school. He'd be meeting new people, making new friends, creating some enemies and maybe even having a boyfriend or two. Blaine swallowed. he could try, at least, to forget about all the great things that happened during the summer. Trying to feel whole again was a lot better of an option than just sitting in his own grief.

The airplane roared to life. People began to fasten seat belts. Blaine stuffed his phone into his pocket and sighed. He looked out the window, past the girl who was sleeping next to him.

"Bye, Ohio," he whispered, more to himself than to his home.

The plane soared into the sky, and it carried Blaine away to his new life.

_AN: Hi readers. So, this marks then end of the first part of the story. The second part f the story will explore Kurt and Blaine's lives when they are older, and how they will react to one another in the future. By the way, this chapter was inspired by the song Paper Aeroplane by Angus and Julia Stone. I know it's a really cliche title given what's going on in the story, but it's a really good song. Anyway, future Kurt and Blaine! coming up next chapter. :)_


	19. Part Two: Winter

The date was December 26th, 2018.

The evening was chilly, with slushy snow that was now gray from car exhaust lining the sidewalk. Despite the bitter cold nipping at skin, Manhattan still shone brightly and was as vibrant and as full of life as any other day. The thing about New York City is that it was just a place so lively and durable. That's one of the reasons why it was so beautiful.

Walking down the wintry street was a twenty-four year old Blaine Anderson. He walked quickly to get out of the cold, puffs of clouds coming out of his mouth every time he breathed. He clenched his red scarf tighter around his neck and kept on walking.

A couple of weeks ago, Blaine was surfing the internet, bored while he was hanging out at Wes's new apartment that he'd just bought back in Westerville. Since Blaine was technically a small, non-famous, indie recording artist now with a newly released EP online, now was the proper time for him to start looking for gigs where he could promote his music. He'd found one at a local restaurant all the way in New York City, and since no one had taken the position yet, Blaine decided to fill in it.

After performing at the restaurant a day after Christmas day, and after awkwardly but politely turning down some teenage girls who'd tried to offer Blaine their numbers, Blaine thought he might as well head back to the hotel he was staying at. He only had about a week left in New York City. Because let's be honest: Even though he only had one gig in the city, there was no way he wanted to leave it's extravagance so early.

Blaine turned his head and spotted a small diner. It had glass windows and a glass door, nothing fancy, but great for a small gathering of friends. Blaine still wanted to finish up writing down some lyrics he'd had stuck in that crazy mind of his for a while, so instead of heading back to the hotel, he walked into the diner where he could drink something warm while working.

As soon as Blaine walked into the diner, he heard singing. And not just singing from a radio or something. Live singing. Blaine looked over and saw a cute red-headed girl, holding a microphone in her hand and belting out some catchy pop ballad while she walked around the tables. She was dressed in what Blaine thought was the employees uniform. Blaine smiled. He always appreciated live music whenever he heard it, and singing staff at a restaurant was always amusing.

After the girl was finished her song, people broke out into a light applause. The girl bowed and smiled, walking over to Blaine.

"Good evening," she said. "Table for one?"

Blaine smiled and nodded. Since his teenage years, his face and body had matured and grown into a handsome young man. His curly hair was darker, more full, even though Blaine insisted on keeping his hair tame with gel. He'd grown a little taller, too-not dramatically, but enough to not be considered short anymore. His shoulders were wider, broader, his skin more tanned, and a very light, almost unnoticeable stubble on his cheeks and chin. There was no doubting that Blaine was a very attractive looking man. Beyond attractive, even. Most people saw Blaine as straight because of this reason, and those who were gay themselves couldn't believe that Blaine was single.

Once he was seated, Blaine looked around at the diner surrounding him. It had a 50's/60's feel to it, with red rubber seats to sit on and tiled floors. The waitresses wore black poodle skirts, and the waiters wore blue short sleeved shirts with bolo ties. The next song started up, and Blaine got to work on his songs. He took a small notebook out of his bag and tapped a pen rhythmically on the table to what was going on in his head.

The place was pretty crowded. A little too crowded, considering the holidays had just finished. There were full families with crying children, groups of teenagers sitting in semi-circles, and elderly couples everywhere Blaine looked. He was glad that he'd gotten a small booth near the window, where he was alone.

Blaine looked outside the frosty window out at the city. There was a perfect view of Times Square right in front of him, with glittering billboards, flashing advertisements, noisy taxi's honking, and pedestrians wearing thick coats and mittens. God, Blaine loved New York. It was so full of art and creativity.

"Hello!" piped a cheery voice from beside Blaine. "Welcome to "Cup of Manhattan," My name is Rachel, may I take your order?"

Blaine looked up at the short waitress standing before him, and he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Holy Streisand," said the waitress, squinting her eyes and focusing on Blaine. "Blaine Anderson. Is that you?"

Blaine couldn't believe it. It had been so long, six years...but he could recognize the face anywhere. The brown hair pulled pack into a ponytail, the wide eyes, the knee-length holiday socks with pictures of rudolph the red-nosed reindeer on them, the lipsticked mouth...Blaine knew that it could only mean the one and only Rachel Berry.

"It is you!" Rachel squealed.

"Oh my god," Blaine turned his body towards her in the chair. "Rachel! What are you doing here?"

"I work part time here," Rachel explained.

"It's been so long," Blaine smiled at her and shook his head. "How are you? What have you been up too?"

"I'm just fine, Blaine," Rachel exchanged his smile, flashing her straight, white teeth. "Things are great. What brings you to New York around the holidays? Do you live here now?"

"No," Blaine said. "I'm just in town for a week because I had a gig at another place just down the street, but I didn't want to go back to the hotel so early, so I decided to drop by here."

"Well, how about that," Rachel shook her head. "What a perfect time to drop by."

"Yeah, right when the holidays are rolling in and the city is at it's best," Blaine added.

"No," Rachel said. "Not because of the holidays."

Blaine cocked his head to the side. "...because of the swarms of angry families filling the place?"

Rachel laughed. "No. Kurt's here."

Blaine's heart froze like the outside weather. Rachel noticed the sudden change in his facial expression.

"Yeah. You remember Kurt? The boy you broke up with right before the summer ended?" Rachel's voice was suddenly cold. She pointed right behind her to a waiter. "He's right there."

Blaine's eyes scanned past the sea of noisy people as his eyes finally landed on a young man dressed in black slacks, a small leather apron attached at his hip, and a short-sleeve, sky blue button down. The man was kneeling by a table next to a little boy, making him laugh while taking his order. Blaine swallowed. Was that really Kurt? Was Blaine's mind playing tricks on him?

It happened such a long time ago. But Blaine still sometimes thought about Kurt. Not a lot, it wasn't a daily thing, but sometimes his mind would wander off to those days that happened six years ago on a sunny lake. He'd just wonder about what Kurt was doing, or where he was now.

Now, Blaine knew.

The man who apparently was Kurt looked over to where Rachel was standing. He smiled and waved at her, and she waved back. But the smile on his face slowly faded once he saw a person sitting at the table in front of Rachel, who was staring at him. The person looked oddly familiar, and out of curiosity, Kurt started to walk down the aisle of chairs and tables. That's when Rachel walked away.

But Blaine didn't notice. Everything around him blurred out, and now, he only saw Kurt walking towards him. Kurt's face changed several times the closer he got to Blaine. First, it started off with confusion. Then, curiosity. Then, alertness, and finally, realization.

Kurt couldn't look away. He also couldn't stop walking towards Blaine either, no matter how many times in his head he told himself to stop. It was like a magnetic force was pulling him towards the table where he was sitting.

Kurt uncrossed his arms. They fell limply at his sides. He looked straight into those hazel-green eyes that he hadn't seen since six years ago.

"Hello, Blaine," Kurt said.

"Kurt," Blaine managed to choke out.

"It's been a while," Kurt chuckled nervously.

Blaine could only nod. He was as stiff as a rock right now.

"Sorry," Blaine snapped out of his gaze. "I'm just a little surprised."

"So am I," Kurt smiled. It wasn't a mean, mocking smile either, it was a small, cute, genuine smile. Blaine suddenly felt like he was eighteen again.

"How have you been, Kurt?" Blaine asked.

"I'm doing alright," Kurt told him. "How about you?"

"Same old," Blaine replied. There was an uncomfortable silence that followed the small talk.

"Um," Kurt said, "I'd love to stay and chat, but my shift literally ends in like, five seconds, and I really have to get home."

"Oh," Blaine wilted like a dead flower. "Alright, then. It was really nice seeing you, Kurt."

"You too. Take care, Blaine."

Kurt walked away, leaving Blaine wide-eyed. He watched Kurt walk to the front door where a coat rack was placed, and Kurt picked up a black trench coat, slipping in on and buttoning up. Before he even knew what he was doing, Blaine got up from his seat and chased after Kurt just as he was walking out the door and into the cold.

"Kurt?" Blaine almost had to shout over the sound of traffic. Kurt spun around, his cheeks rosy and his blue eyes giant. Blaine didn't realize how much he missed the color of those eyes.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" Blaine blurted out randomly. He was expecting Kurt to just walk away, but instead, Kurt smiled and said, "Yeah. My shift starts at eleven. In the morning, I mean."

Blaine sighed of relief. "Would you mind if I stopped by tomorrow? You know, so we could catch up, maybe?"

Kurt looked surprised and taken off guard, but he just said, "Yes. Sure, that would be lovely."

"Great," Blaine grinned. "So. Um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Kurt agreed. Just then, Rachel came out of the diner, a red coat wrapped around her small frame.

"Thanks for waiting for me, Kurt!" Rachel hollered as she skipped on over to him and took Kurt's arm. "Let's go."

Rachel shot Blaine a hard glare before tugging on Kurt's arm in the direction of wherever they lived. Kurt stumbled clumsily behind her, until they walked in perfect a synchronized pattern down the icy road.

Blaine ignored the cold seeping through his black sweater. He released a noise that sounded like a cross between a giggle, a cough and a whisper. He did not know if this was a good or a bad thing, now that he had discovered the location of Kurt Hummel, a boy who he'd fallen in love with long ago. he didn't know if this was going to bring him bliss or pain.

When Blaine went back into the diner to gather his jacket and grabbed a taxi back to his hotel, he decided that it was worth taking the risk.

_AN: There you have it, everyone! The very first chapter in the second part of the story. I hope you enjoyed it. The diner that Kurt and Rachel work at was inspired by a real diner that I visited the last time I was in New York. It's called Stardust, and it's a 50's themed diner with singing staff, It's a really fun place to go and it's such a cute little area, so I decided to make my own. Anyway, stay tuned to find out what happens with our boys!_


	20. Catching Up

_To anybody who watched glee last night...here are my notes. Kurt Hummel is a perfect boyfriend, Finchel's drama is annoying and boring, and mother of god. Blaine in the shower...let's just say I replayed that scene over and over on my laptop. Hope you all enjoyed the episode!_

The minute Rachel and Kurt arrived in their apartment, Rachel immediately started to talk, loud and fast.

"What happened?" She asked, sounding nervous, anxious and a little angry all at the same time. "What did he say to you? Are you alright?"

"Calm down, Rachel," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm not a baby. I can talk to other boys without having you supervise me."

"Well, that curly haired short stack is an idiot," Rachel snapped. She ripped her jacket zipper open and hung it up on the coat rack near the door, bumping into a few umbrella's. Kurt had never seen her this furious before.

"I had to watch my best friend suffer for months after Blaine what's-his-name decided to act like a complete moron," Rachel continued.

"Thanks for reminding me of the good ol' days, Rachel," Kurt huffed.

"I'm sorry. But seriously, what did he say to you? If it's something bad, I swear I am not letting you go to work tomorrow. I'll work both our shifts if it means staying away from that jerk."

"Relax," Kurt plopped down onto the small sofa next to Rachel. The television was turned on, but they paid no attention.

"He said that it was nice seeing me and all, and he asked if he could catch up with me tomorrow if I came to work."

"Absolutely not!" Rachel crossed her arms. "He's going to say something stupid. I just know it. God, I just want to smack that stupid little charming smile off his face."

"Rachel!" Now Kurt was shocked. "It was a long time ago, okay? Just forget about it. He's not asking me to marry him or anything. He just wants to catch up. I can talk to a guy without falling in love with them, you know. You don't have to babysit me."

"I'm sorry," Rachel was starting to calm down now. "I'm sorry. I just don't trust that guy."

"You don't trust any guy I see," Kurt tried to make it sound like a joke, but his voice came out rough and sarcastic. "I'll be fine, okay? Just...don't start yelling tomorrow. I don't want to get fired."

Rachel eyed Kurt carefully for a minute, and then she smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. Almost as id she'd never been upset in the first place.

"I'm going to bed," she announced, standing up. "You should, too. You've got a long day ahead of you, and we have rehearsal tomorrow at four."

"I know," Kurt called as she walked into her bedroom, just a few feet away from the living room. Since Manhattan had such a dense population, the houses and apartments were very small. Kurt and Rachel were lucky enough to find a place with two separate bedrooms, a small living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms. It was almost too good to be true.

"Good night!" Rachel said before Kurt heard the door to her room close.

Kurt sighed, lying down on the couch and watching the television show in front of him move about. Rachel was right: Kurt had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.

The next day was just as cold as the one before.

It was only the 27th of December, so the city was still caught in the holiday spirit. Back in his hotel room, Blaine set the alarm for ten thirty prior to the next day. But Blaine was already awake before the alarm had any time to start ringing. To be honest, Blaine didn't really get that much sleep. He kept on thinking about Kurt, and Rachel, and how he was going to talk to someone he was sure had forgotten him by now.

Blaine paced around in his room the television blaring. He knew this was silly. He shouldn't be freaking out about this, but he just had no clue what to wear. He alternated between standing in front of the mirror and shuffling around in his suit case, only wearing a pair of boxers and a shirt at the time. Blaine didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard with his clothes, but he also didn't want to come underdressed.

_Stop. Stop acting like and idiot, Blaine_, he told himself. _It's only Kurt. Who cares what he thinks about your clothes? You're not dating him. Be yourself. Be Blaine. Wear what Blaine wears._

So when Blaine finally calmed down, he picked out a pair of dark jeans, a dark red cardigan sweater, and a grey bow-tie. Everything blended in nicely, and to finish it off, Blaine put a dab of product in his hair before slipping on his boots and heading out the door.

He arrived at the diner at around 11:10 am. There weren't many people inside, just a few who were munching on something small for breakfast. As he expected, the staff was singing again, but much quieter and calmer songs to start off the day.

Blaine saw Kurt walking towards him, dressed in the same clothes as last night. Once again, Blaine got a sort of weird feeling in his stomach, like maybe it wasn't such a great idea to be talking to Kurt. But he went with it anyway.

"You're early," Kurt said as he carried a circular black trey underneath his arm. He set it down on a table.

"You thought I wouldn't come?" asked Blaine.

"I just wasn't expecting you to be here so early," Kurt shrugged. Blaine felt his cheeks heat up.

"Sorry. Should I leave?"

"Oh no," Kurt said a little too quickly. "It's fine. Just go find a seat somewhere, I'll be out in a second."

Blaine sat down at the same seat he sat at yesterday, watching as Kurt disappeared behind the counter. He looked out at the beautiful city, wondering why Kurt was working here, of all places.

A few minutes later, Kurt re-appeared, carrying two glass mugs full of what looked like coffee. The steam rose from the rims of the cups, and as Kurt got closer, Blaine could smell the sweetness of the liquid.

Kurt set down the mug in front of Blaine. "Thank you," he murmured. Kurt sat across from Blaine at the table, taking a small sip from his own mug before speaking.

"I shouldn't be doing this, you know," Kurt said. "Ignoring my shift, I mean. If my boss ever saw me not working, he'd fire me faster than a bullet. But Rachel's watching out for me, so if I suddenly start running away from you, it's probably because I need to get back to my shift." Blaine laughed.

"So," Kurt smiled. "How is everything?"

The talk the boys had last night only lasted about two minutes, plus it was kind of dim-lighten in the diner, so Blaine couldn't really make out Kurt's features. But now, sitting next to the window with pale light coming in, he could see everything clearly. Kurt hadn't changed too much, but enough to make it look noticeable. His skin still remained that creamy white color, but his hair seemed to have gotten a little lighter and puffier in the front. His cheekbones were high and sharp, his voice only lowering a notch or two without losing the high-pitched sound. And his eyes were bluer than ever. Kurt was still just as beautiful as he was six years ago. Maybe even more.

"Everything is fine with me," Blaine replied, turning the warm mug around in his palms. "I've been busy lately. Wes- you remember Wes- he's been helping me launch this EP I've been messing around with for a while. I took this gig down at a restaurant not far from here, and that brings us to now."

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "An EP? Aren't you the cool guy." He laughed, and Blaine winked at him.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question that might sound a little offensive?" Blaine asked.

"Offensive how?"

"Offensive as in you might get really mad and just go back to your shift." Kurt giggled. It sounded so familiar, yet so foreign to Blaine at the same time.

"I am not giving this up so I can go back to work, trust me," Kurt said.

"Alright, then." Blaine paused. "Why are you working here, Kurt? I thought you wanted to come to New York to do bigger things, not...this."

Kurt didn't seem annoyed, which relieved Blaine. "This is only a part time job, Blaine. Do you really think I'd come to this city just to be a _waiter_?"

Blaine chuckled. It was a cute, shy sound that made Kurt blush. "I guess not."

"I took this job with Rachel so we could have a little bit of extra cash in our pockets. Half the time I'm here, and the other half, well...let's just say I'm doing that."

Kurt pointed out the window towards the posters and billboards in Times Square of all the Broadway plays. Blaine's mouth hung open.

"No way!" Blaine exclaimed. "Really?"

"Really."

"Wow, Kurt, that's incredible!"

"Thank you." Kurt gave the sweetest smile known to man, obviously flattered.

"What show are you doing? What role? For how long?"

Kurt giggled. "Slow down, cow boy. I'm doing _Wicked. _And for now, I'm only in the ensemble with Rachel. But I'm twenty-four years old, Blaine, and I have all the time in the world to get a lead role." Kurt stared out the window, almost dreamily. "I will have a lead role one day."

Blaine looked at Kurt with admiration in his eyes. Kurt was so strong and willing to fight for his dream.

"I knew you could do it," Blaine almost whispered. "I knew it. It may not be the role you wanted, but you'll get there someday."

Kurt smiled at him. "Thank you. I appreciate the motivation."

"So, you're living with Rachel now, huh?"

"Yes, but not for long. Next year, Finn-Rachel's boyfriend and my step-brother-he's moving here. They already picked out a place in Queen's, so it'll just be me and the apartment that we live in."

"That's kind of sad," Blaine said. "Will you miss her?"

"Well, it would be nice to stop hearing her singing in the morning and her telephone arguments when she's drunk, but yeah, I'll miss her a lot."

Blaine laughed. "Rachel has...taken a special interest in me."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Kurt frowned. "She's just a little mad. I don't think she trusts you very much, but she's just being an idiot. If she says anything mean to you, just ignore it."

"I don't blame her for hating me. I think I can understand why."

There was a silence between them. Kurt suddenly felt a wave of sadness come out of nowhere and hit him square in the chest, and he remembered how difficult his first few months of college had been. He ignored it, but said nothing as he felt Blaine's eyes boring into him. Trying to get inside of him.

"You now that I'm still really sorry about that, right?" Blaine softly spoke.

"Yes," Kurt nodded. "I'm not mad at you, though. I mean, I was for a couple of months afterwards. I was actually pretty pissed off to the point where feeling sorry for myself didn't even work anymore. But that's in the past now, Blaine. I don't want you to worry about it anymore."

"I know," Blaine grinned. "So, have you been seeing anyone lately?"

_Oh my god. _Blaine was about to smack himself in the face for asking such a personal question and being so forward. But Kurt just smiled at him and shook his head.

"No, not at the moment. I mean, there's been a few guys in college and all that, but nothing serious."

For some reason the thought of Kurt locked in his dorm room at NYADA with some faceless boy made Blaine feel a little...covetous and overprotective. But then he reminded himself that he hadn't seen Kurt in six years, and the feeling evaporated. He needed to remember that he and Kurt were no longer and item, and just like Kurt, he'd experienced a few boyfriends of his own.

"What about you?" asked Kurt. He bit his lip as he waited for Blaine to swallow his coffee.

"Me, too," Blaine replied. "No one for me at the moment."

Kurt nodded. The conversation lasted for about an hour or so, and it was full of small stories and laughter. It was so easy to just fall back into place like they had six years ago, almost if if they'd never left each other's sides.

But then it was time for Kurt to get back to work. As the day passed on, more people would start to come into the diner, and they'd notice Kurt slacking off.

"I should get back to work," Kurt reluctantly said. Blaine really wanted to keep on talking to Kurt.

"It was really great catching up with you, Kurt."

"It was nice catching up with you, too."

'Well, I'd better get going now, too. I guess I'll see you around."

"Hey, wait a minute," Kurt reached out and grabbed Blaine's arm, quickly releasing it right after. "You don't have to act like you'll never see me again. I'm here again tomorrow."

"You mean I can come back?" Blaine looked baffled.

"This is a public place, Blaine, you can do whatever you want." Kurt giggled. "Come back tomorrow if you want. It's all day brunch starting at eight."

Blaine laughed. "That sounds intriguing. I'll be here."

"Alright. Hey, you don't have to be shy around me or anything. We can be friends. Right?"

Blaine looked at Kurt's out stretched hand. A part of his mind imagined himself grabbing it and pulling Kurt into his arms. But another part of his mind told him to shut up. He took Kurt's soft, warm palm into his own, remembering how their fingers used to fit so perfectly together six years ago.

"Of course, Kurt," Blaine smiled.

"I'll see you later, then," Kurt touched Blaine's shoulder, which felt strong and straight beneath his jacket, and walked off to help Rachel take away some dishes.

Blaine walked outside into the cold, the feeling of Kurt's hand still tingling in his own.


	21. Where Am I Going?

_AN: The song used in this chapter is called Where Am I Going? From Sweet Charity. And yes, I know that it's a song traditionally sung by a woman, but we all know that Kurt lives to sing girl's songs. I just think that the lyrics fit perfectly with what is going on in the story, plus I love me some Sweet Charity._

On December 28th, Blaine sat by himself in a cozy little booth near the glass window in the Cup Of Manhattan diner. He watched the blurs of yellow taxi's zoom by on the icy roads, traced the patterns of blinkering lights in Times Square with his eyes. The tea he'd ordered was starting to get a little cold, and Blaine was losing his patience.

Kurt wasn't here today. Or at least, not yet. But his shift had started long ago, and Kurt was never someone who wasted time getting to where he needed to be. Blaine kept telling himself not to worry. What was he waiting for anyway? He'd only just re-met Kurt about a day ago. Blaine sighed.

Just then, the door to the diner flew open, a gust of chilly wind sweeping through the front entrance. Blaine turned his head and smiled- Kurt just stumbled through the door, his teeth slightly chattering as he ran to undo his coat. His cheeks were rosy pink, his hair uncharacteristically messy as he quickly walked down the aisles. Without even looking where he was going, Kurt sat down at the booth that Blaine was at, his chest heaving as he lay his head down onto the table.

"You okay?" asked Blaine. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"I'm so late," Kurt huffed. He brought his head up off the desk and sighed. "I've never been this late to work before."

"What happened?"

"I had _Wicked_ rehearsal from four until all night long. Dancing around in a big green costume while singing back-up for Elphaba isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world. I don't even know why I'm a munchkin. I'm _five-eleven_, for christ sakes."

Blaine laughed, giving an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Kurt said. "This is what I want. This is what I signed up for, even if it means me becoming exhausted and having to wear glittery make-up."

Blaine chuckled again. "I've noticed."

He pointed to Kurt's eyelid, where a tiny smidgen of gold and bright green eyeliner was still stuck to his face. Kurt blinked, his face blank, and then he realized what Blaine was trying to say.

"Ugghh!" Kurt grumbled, grabbing a near by napkin and holding it over his eye. "I thought I got it all off!"

"Don't worry," Blaine smiled. "It's gone now."

"Good," Kurt groaned. But he replaced his frown with a beam. "So, how're you this morning? I take it you're liking it here, other wise you wouldn't be here before I got here."

Blaine shrugged. "It's a nice spot. And I was waiting on you, you know."

Kurt resisted the urge to flush.

The men fell into a comfortable conversation, and it looked strange from afar. To know that these people used to be so connected to each other, and then watching them sort of knit themselves together again...it was an odd thing to encounter. But it was the kind of odd that was hopeful, the kind of odd that made you want to route for them. Too bad life just wasn't a romantic comedy movie.

After a while, a waiter dressed in the same uniform as Kurt came up to Kurt and Blaine's table. He looked a little younger, so Blaine assumed he wouldn't tell Kurt's boss that he was secretly slacking off.

"Hey, Kurt," said the waiter, and he handed Kurt a microphone. "You're up."

"Thanks," Kurt took the mic and turned to Blaine. "Do you mind? It's sort of staff policy that everyone working on that day has to sing at least one song."

"I'd love to hear!" Blaine's smile reminded Kurt of a little child on Christmas morning.

"In that case," Kurt laughed, "I'll be right back. Excuse me."

Kurt walked up to the karaoke machine that was near the counter, reading some of the songs on the machine. Blaine watched him pause between some of the selections. Then, he smiled and pressed a button on the machine before speaking into the mic.

"Good morning, Manhattan!" he said, and some of the people seated at their tables looked up and cheered. It wasn't a loud, performing-at-Madison-Square-Garden kind of cheering, but it was a polite kind that let Kurt know he was being acknowledged.

The music started up on the machine and at once, Kurt just seemed to lose himself in the soft sway of the pre-recorded orchestra. It was mesmerizing to watch, Blaine thought. Observing Kurt's facial expression suddenly change from smiley diner employee to an actual character made Blaine focus carefully on the performance.

_Where am I going, and what will I find?_

_What's in this grab-bag that I call my mind?_

_What am I doing alone on the shelf?_

_Ain't it a shame, but no one's to blame but myself._

_Which way is clear when you've lost your way year after year?_

Blaine immediately recognized the song. It was from an old film, Sweet Charity, a show that used to be on Broadway. Kurt's high-pitched voice glided over the notes so smoothly, almost like a jazzy lullaby. But the last thing Blaine wanted to do at the moment was sleep. He watched Kurt circle the tables, occasionally sitting right next to someone as he sang, the customers laughing and smiling as he did so.

_Do I keep falling in love for just the kick of it?_

_Staggering through the thin and thick of it._

_Hating each old and tired trick of it,_

_Know what I am? I'm good and sick of it!_

_Where am I going? Why do I care?_

_Run to the bronx, or Washington Square._

_No matter where I run, I meet myself there._

_Looking inside me, what do I see?_

_Anger and hope and doubt, what am I all about?_

_And where am I going? You tell me._

There was a short instrumental break, and as Kurt slowly paced around the tiled floors, Blaine couldn't help but notice how real Kurt's emotions looked. The song he was singing was obviously about someone who was unhappy with their decisions in life. Musical theatre songs usually tended for some acting. But Kurt's acting just looked so realistic, so authentic that it didn't even look like acting at all. The confused eyes, the slightly troubled frown. Kurt really did look like he was lost, and Blaine couldn't tell if it was because he was an amazing actor or if it had something to do with Kurt's life.

_Looking inside me, what do I see?_

_Anger and hope and doubt, what am I all about?_

_And where am I going?_

_You tell me!_

Kurt's song ended after a few instrumental bars, and the diner broke out into a round of light applause, with even a few young children whistling. Kurt smiled and bowed to the crowd, before handing his microphone over to another waitress and letting her work the karaoke machine.

He returned over to where Blaine was sitting, whose face looked like he was just touched by an angel.

"Wow," Blaine half-whispered.

"Good wow? Or bad wow?" Kurt teased.

"Definitely a good wow. That was amazing, Kurt."

"Thank you," Kurt grinned.

"I'm serious," Blaine continued. "Seriously, that was almost like a real Broadway performance...you know, without the waiter uniform and all these noisy people around. You were...captivating. I don't think I've seen anyone sing with that much soul before. You're built for this kind of stuff, Kurt. You were made to perform."

Blaine's face suddenly went blank when he realized that he'd said to much. "Sorry. Was that a little dramatic?"

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," Kurt blurted out. Blaine smiled.

"You deserve this, Kurt. You deserve your dreams coming true."

"Well, now, I'm working twice as hard for it. If online EP sensation Blaine Anderson says I can do it, than you bet I can!"

"Shut up," Blaine nudged Kurt from across the table, smiling.

"But seriously," Kurt said. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me by saying that my dreams actually...matter. Because back in Ohio, they certainly didn't."

"Well, it's a good thing you're not there anymore. This city has certainly gained something."

Kurt flushed. He didn't know if this was a kind of flirting. The last time he had a boyfriend was at least about a year and a half ago. He didn't want to admit it, but Kurt got this kind of strange, warm sensation spreading through his body when Blaine laughed or smiled at him. It felt good...and bad at the same time. There was no way Kurt was going to allow himself to fall into a trap.

If only he knew where he was going.

_Another quick AN: I'd love to hear Chris Colfer sing a rendition of Where Am I Going? someday on glee! My head canon is that maybe Kurt is having a difficult time in college, or he tries to take a shot at his dreams, but they don't work out. This is just such a perfect song to sing if something like that ever happened. And please don't think I'm wishing pain on our beloved Kurt...I just really want to hear his angelic voice sing this. :) Until next time!_


	22. Permission

_AN: Hey guys, just wanted to say that this is a very short filler chapter. I only put it in here because I wanted to add some more conversation between Kurt and Blaine. The story could survive without this chapter, but I want to leave it here so it builds up towards some interesting stuff that'll be happening later ;) Also, I'm leaving to go on vacation to Florida soon. I'll still have wifi so I can upload chapters, but I can't guarantee they'll be up as fast as you might want them too, because of how busy my schedule is while I'm there. I will try my best, though!_

Kurt was...well, he didn't want to admit it to himself, but he was a little disappointed.

Blaine didn't show up that day. It was now closing time at the Cup Of Manhattan, and everyone was beginning to untie their aprons and clear tables for the night. But Kurt knew he shouldn't be feeling this way. It's not like he was waiting for Blaine to show up. And besides, he didn't feel the same way he felt for Blaine before, not when he was eighteen. It was just too hard to go back to that. He was just curious. Intrigued by Blaine's re-appearance.

"Wait for me outside," Rachel told him. "I'm just cleaning a few dishes. I'll be out in a second."

So Kurt buttoned up his jacket and waited outside, leaning his back against the brick wall of the diner. He made little shapes with the puffs of frigid air coming out of his mouth.

"Kurt!"

His head turned when he heard his name being shouted. There was Blaine, half-jogging towards him. His hair was a little bit messy, free from it's gel helmet. His nose was red, his chest heaving as he caught his breath, but he was smiling.

"What're you doing here?" Kurt asked. "The shop is closed now."

"It is?" Blaine grimaced. "Ugh. I just ran down the street hoping it would still be open."

"What's up?" Kurt said.

"Sorry I didn't come today. I wanted to come by and see you again, but I ran into a family member and I was roped into spending the day with them. You know younger cousins."

"It's fine," Kurt shrugged it off. "There's always tomorrow. But don't you have somewhere to be? It's almost New Years."

"I figured I'd spend this one alone," Blaine carelessly said. "I do the same thing every year with my family anyway. I might just go watch the ball drop in Times Square or something. What about you?"

"I'm not really doing anything either," Kurt admitted. "Rachel tried her best to convince me into going to this party with some of her friends, but I said no. There's no way I'm going to be pulling over a taxi at 3 am while a stubborn and drunk Rachel throws up all over the road."

Blaine laughed. "Well, whatever you're doing, I hope you have fun. Say, do you think maybe I could come by tomorrow?"

"Like I said before, it's a public place, Blaine. You can go wherever you want."

"I know," Blaine said quietly. "I just feel like I need to ask permission for some reason."

There was a silence, but the zooming and honking of the loud vehicles made it less awkward. Luckily, Kurt smiled.

"Well, if you want my permission, you can come by whenever you feel like it."

"Cool," Blaine grinned, and Kurt felt mad at himself for almost blushing.

A few seconds later, just as Blaine was about to open his mouth to change the subject, Rachel came storming out of the diner, her coat clenched tightly around her little waist. She turned and firmly grasped Blaine's arm, hauling him away.

"Let's_ go_, Kurt," Rachel hissed when Kurt tried to stay put. He gave Blaine and apologetic look, and Blaine just shook his head and smiled at him.

Blaine really didn't care if Rachel hated him. Perhaps she always would. But at least Kurt didn't completely despise, him. For some reason, knowing that fact just felt important to Blaine. It made him feel better.


	23. Snowed Out

_Hey everyone! I just wanted to say that in the last chapter, instead of writing "She turned and firmly grasped Blaine's arm, hauling him away," I meant to write the same thing, but with Kurt's name instead of Blaine's! Sorry! I make so many typo's and spelling mistakes that you get used to it._

The next morning, Blaine's phone went buzzing on the table next to his bed. He groggily reached over, snatching his phone with a sleepy, misguided hand. He squinted at the screen, the date saying that it was December 30th. Only two more days until it was the New Year. Blaine sat up, rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his thick forest of curls.

After he got dressed and went downstairs to the hotel lobby, kindly greeting the concierge on the way down, Blaine took a small walk around Times Square to wake himself up. Even early in the morning, the entire place was busy. He took a seat on the giant red stairs that faced Times Square, allowing a view at all the billboards, shops and bystanders passing by. Blaine smiled, even though it was a little cold. He enjoyed the city, the vibrance of the place, and most of all, the music that the hum of the city seemed to sing.

Blaine watched a teen couple sitting on the stairs near by him. They shared a cup of whatever from Starbucks, and they sat in each other's laps, cuddling and kissing to savor their warmth. Blaine smiled at them, remembering how he once had what they had. How easily he had let it go.

Later on in the afternoon, Blaine stopped by the Cup Of Manhattan diner. As usual, he found Kurt working there by day, working on Broadway as a talented performer by night. Kurt spotted him, smiling as he walked over to seat him somewhere.

"You just missed me singing," Kurt said as Blaine sat down in a booth.

"I did?" Blaine's eyebrows shot up. "Shame. I always come too late."

"Too bad the mic cancelled out on me while I was just getting into it."

Blaine burst out into a short giggle. "Sorry."

Kurt shrugged. "Let me go be a waiter for a few more minutes, and then I'll come back so we can gossip about whatever celebrity got pregnant with such-and-such, okay?"

"Be free," Blaine swept his arm across the room, and Kurt was zipping fast from table to table, carrying things on a tray in and out. Blaine thought he could probably never be a waiter.

As promised, Kurt returned a few moments later, just as a mid-twenties looking waiter started to sing a Beatles song.

"Ooh, this is a good song," Blaine jerked his thumb over his shoulder where the man was singing _I Just Saw A Face._

"Agreed," Kurt raised his glass mug of what looked like tea towards Blaine.

"So," Kurt toyed with the rim of his glass, tracing it carefully with his fingers. Blaine watched him carefully. "Some advice if you're going to go down to Times Square at midnight on New Years Eve: Don't get trampled. And don't die. That's all I really have to say. Oh, and you don;t have to wear as much winter clothing, because you;ll be packed tightly between hundreds of people, so you won't even feel the cold.

Blaine smirked. "Thanks for the advice, but I don't know if I'm going anymore."

"Why not?" Kurt genuinely looked concerned, and Blaine appreciated the gesture.

"I don't know. I could probably just watch it from outside my hotel room window."

"But no one should spend New Years alone," Kurt pouted. "I'd invite you over, but I'm pretty sure Rachel would slaughter you with a kitchen knife the second you stepped foot on our property."

Blaine chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Kurt. It's fine."

The men talked for a bit more, indulging into an endless conversation about nothing, really. Kind of how it used to be during those days six years ago. Kurt suddenly realized just how much he'd missed talking to Blaine, even if he hadn't thought about it in a while. The thing with Blaine was...well, he never really got proper closure with him when they broke up. All of Kurt;s other boyfriend's had been pretty brief, just like with Blaine, but at least with Kurt's old boyfriends, he'd gotten to properly end things without things coming to an abrupt halt. And Kurt never understood why breaking up with Blaine hurt a thousand times more than when he ended things with his college boyfriends. Kurt had been convincing himself for years now that he actually didn't fall in love with Blaine all those years ago. That he was just a stupid teenager that was excited about his first romance. And to be honest, Kurt had believed himself until now.

"Kurt?" Blaine waved a hand in front of Kurt's face, as if trying to wake him up.

"Oh, sorry," Kurt blinked several times. "I was just thinking. About something funny. Haha."

Blaine smiled warmly. "I was just saying that I should probably get going. It's getting pretty late." Kurt looked out the window and saw that it was already beginning to get dark. He sighed.

Kurt walked Blaine to the door, but as soon as he opened it, a behemoth gust of freezing cold air washed through the diner. And Kurt and Blaine couldn't believe what they were seeing: a full-on blizzard right in the middle of New York City. Snowflakes were soaring in every direction in the sky, moving faster than a jet plane. They landed harshly on parked cars and on people walking on the street.

"Woah," Kurt breathed, "I've never seen a snow storm in New York before."

Blaine huffed, "Great. It'll take me forever to get back to the hotel."

"How long?" Asked Kurt.

"Um, if I get a taxi...I don't know. I'm just predicting, but maybe a few hours or so? Maybe a little less. I have no idea."

"Blaine," Kurt looked at him with disbelief. "You can't possibly go back to wherever you're staying in this weather. Even if you're in a taxi, an accident will be sure to happen with roads like this. And you know how reckless the streets of Manhattan are.

Kurt was right. Cars in New York could simply cut in front of each other or fit between incredibly slim spaces without even thinking twice to stop. That's just how the drivers' minds were programmed in this city: either now or never.

"Well, I'm going to have too. Even if I were to stay somewhere closer, my belongings are still at the other hotel."

"I feel terrible about letting you go out there," Kurt frowned.

"Don't worry about me, Kurt," Blaine smiled. gently touching Kurt's shoulder. "It'll just be a really long taxi ride. Nothing to panic about."

Just as Blaine was about to wish Kurt a goodnight and head off onto the curb to wait for a bright yellow taxi to scoop him up and get him to his temporary home in one piece, Kurt bit his lip and spoke up.

"Blaine? You can stay with me, if you like. Or at least until the storm dies down."

Blaine was sure he needed ten gallons of ice cold water splashed on his face to stop the burning rising in his cheeks and up his chest. He turned around and looked at Kurt.

"Oh no, Kurt, I could never just barge into your h-"

"You don't have to stay the whole night. Just until the storm calms down. But my house is literally just around the corner. I just...feel really uncomfortable with you going home in this weather. I'm scared for anybody who's driving tonight, really."

Kurt never told Blaine about how his mother was killed in an accident. He never told Blaine how much it scared him to see someone he knew die in that way. And he would probably never tell Blaine, or at least not any time soon. They may not have been the best of friends, but Kurt cared about Blaine, now. He wasn't going to let him suffer the same fate.

Blaine somehow sensed the worry and anxiety in Kurt's bright eyes. It really did look like he wanted him to stay, and even if Blaine protested, he'd just get hailed with Kurt's pleads again.

"A-are you sure, Kurt?" Blaine stepped a little closer to Kurt, more than what was considered his privacy space. Kurt didn't mind though. He didn't feel the slightest uncomfortable. But even so, he looked away from the warm, hazel pools of Blaine's eyes and swallowed. He blinked the image of his mother's face away from his head.

"Yes. It would make me feel a lot better if you just didn't go out in that storm."

Blaine looked at Kurt for a very long time before finally nodding and saying, "Um, alright. If it's no trouble for you, I mean."

"Of course not," Kurt exhaled, feeling a little relieved. "Come on. I'll lead the way."

And Blaine just couldn't stop himself from smiling at that point.

_AN: Okay, so I know that in another fic of mine I said that Kurt's mom died of cancer, but I decided to change that for the sake of the story in this one. Also, I know it sounds pretty unrealistic that Blaine gets snowed out of his hotel, but it was the only thing I could think of! Next chapter will be some pretty angsty stuff. I've never really written much angst, so wish me luck :D_


	24. Anger

_AN:Since I'm on vacation, I didn't get to watch Holy Musical Bman! Right away, so I watched the whole thing today in one shot and oh my god, I loved it! What I love about Starkid is that they're so silly and goofy and down to earth, but they still manage to put on incredible shows. My favorite song was the fuck you song where batman and superman were fighting (; What did you guys think of the show?_

As fast as he could, Kurt flung out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door to his and Rachel's apartment. The men stumbled along inside, and Blaine looked around.

"It's not much," Kurt shivered from the cold, taking off his coat. "But it's home."

The apartment was small, but had hospitable decor. Blaine could tell that he and Rachel had obviously decorated the place together. The first thing that was seen when walking through the door was a small kitchen with a round table and tiled floors that turned into a maroon, carpeted floor. The next room was the living room, with a plush green sofa at the back of the room, a small shelf full of books and DVD's, and a television sitting on a table in front of it. And then there was a small hallway that Blaine assumed led to the bathrooms and bedrooms.

"I like it," Blaine nodded in approval, shrugging off his coat. "Very...Kurt Hummel. By the way, where's Rachel?"

"She left work early to go help out one of her friends move out of her house...oh, I hope she's going to be okay."

Kurt raced for his phone and sent Rachel a quick text. He tried to calm his jitters, but that was a little difficult, seeing as Kurt had a friend who was out in a storm and an incredibly gorgeous man in his home.

At the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Blaine stifle a shudder. Kurt smiled. "Cold?"

"A little," Blaine's teeth chattered, his lips nearly blue from only walking for a few minutes outside. Kurt giggled, and once again, the sound reminded Blaine of wind chimes.

"You can go sit down if you like. You're lucky Rachel and I own the world's comfiest sofa. I'm just going to get changed really quickly, okay?"

"Sure," Blaine beamed. "And Kurt? Thank you again. For letting me come over here."

"My pleasure," Kurt said before turning into his bedroom.

When Blaine sat down on the cushiony, velvet green sofa, he knew immediately that Kurt had been telling the truth. This _was_ the world's comfiest sofa. It seemed to just frame your body shape perfectly, and Blaine sighed, snuggling deeper into it.

A few minutes later, Kurt came out, dressed in a pair of dark, tight jeans and a slight off-the-shoulder, brick-red sweatshirt that looked like it was created by some crazy designer. Blaine's eyes scanned up and down Kurt's tall, slinky figure. He needed to tear his eyes away from Kurt now before he caught him staring. But Blaine just had to admit it. Kurt was sexy. He was sexy then, and was most certainly sexy now as he walked up the hallway and out of the dark, laughing lightly.

"How come you're just sitting there? You could have turned on the television or something if you wanted to," Kurt said.

"I was...too busy enjoying your couch," Blaine struggled for words after being taken off-guard by Kurt. He tried to look indifferent.

"I told you!" Kurt chuckled. "Do you want tea or anything?"

"Yes, please, that'd be really nice," Blaine nodded, still feeling a tiny bit cold for some reason.

Kurt walked into the kitchen, which was pretty much in the same area as the living room. He began to boil some water in a pot and hunt the cabinet for tea packets. Blaine flipped through the channels on TV, and he couldn't help but just wonder at how normal and comfortable this felt. With him just sitting on the sofa and Kurt making a hot drink just in the next room, it felt...like home, almost. As if it should have always been this way.

Returning with two class mugs of steaming tea, Kurt set the glasses down on the coffee table in front of them and sat down on the couch, a few inches away from Blaine. It was close enough to get those jittery butterfly feelings, but not close enough to be able to feel each other's body heat. Blaine reached out to his tea, hoping it would distract himself from Kurt.

"Thank you for the tea," Blaine swallowed a mouthful of honey and herbs, burning his mouth in the process. "It's great."

"Glad you like it," Kurt smiled. There was a silence, but for once, wasn't uncomfortable. It felt nice having the television talk, and the boys all snuggled up into the sofa, sipping on tea.

"Oh, I love this movie!" The men exclaimed simultaneously when the next program, _Moulin Rouge _came on. They looked at each other and laughed.

"It's a good thing you're an interesting person to get snowed in with," Kurt noted.

"Well, technically, I got snowed _out_, but I guess that works, too."

The men watched the movie for a while, sometimes quoting the movie out loud, acting some of the scenes out and humming along to the lyrics. They occasionally made snarky remarks such as,

"Ewan McGregor used to be so hot."

"He's still hot now!"

"Yeah, but he's getting older. It never lasts."

"Hey. Look at guys like Lenny Kravitz, George Clooney and Ricky Martin. They _never_ age. I seriously want to know what they're taking."

"I suppose you're right. At least Nicole Kidman's still looking good."

"Really? I think she looks kind of...shabby."

"She's not so bad for an older woman. She hasn't gone crazy or anything. But I mean, look at her skin. She might even be paler than you, Kurt."

"My pale complexion is flawless, thank you very much."

"I wasn't doubting it."

After a while, Blaine found himself inching closer and closer to Kurt. Very slowly, he'd just shift his weight over, until there was practically no space between them at all. Kurt could feel the heat burning in his face when he felt Blaine's hip gently brush his own. It was so light that he almost didn't feel it. But then again, it was impossible not to notice.

That's when a very tentative, soft, and warm hand found it's way to his own. At first it just started off by laying on top of his pinky finger, but then it slowly moved right into his palm, gently squeezing. Blaine's heart was hammering so loudly that he was sure Kurt could feel it. He couldn't believe he was doing this. But he just needed to. He needed to.

Kurt looked over then. His bright sea-foam blue eyes bore into Blaine's, piercing him and making him feel alive and brave. Blaine swallowed, licking his lips. He stared at Kurt's own lips, which were parted slightly and rosy pink. He knew what it felt like to kiss Kurt. And something inside of him shouted that he wanted to feel it again.

Kurt stared at him with his cheeks the color or cherries. There were several emotions fluttering around in his body. He stared at the gorgeous, handsome, beautiful face in front of him. He saw it start to get closer, and closer, until he could smell Blaine's sweet cologne and his own natural musk that he just wanted to inhale all day long. But as soon as he saw Blaine's eye's gently shut, thats when he started to wake up.

"No," Kurt whispered hoarsely.

Blaine's eyes shot open. Kurt yanked his hand out of Blaine's, taking it back and scooting a few inches away from Blaine. He looked down at the carpet, a blank stare on his face. Blaine felt terrible, not because he didn't get to kiss Kurt, but because he'd made him feel uncomfortable.

"Kurt," Blaine choked, "I'm sorry..."

"No, you know what?" Kurt's voice sounded rather cold now. He stood up from the sofa, looking Blaine straight in the eye.

"No," Kurt firmly stated. "That's not fair. You don't get to do this to me. You don't get to break up with me after you let me kiss you, and you don't get to come back looking all charming and try to get me to do it all over again."

Blaine was mortified when he saw the tears in Kurt's eyes. He wanted to pull Kurt into him and brush the tears away, but clearly, Kurt was furious. He was more hurt than mad, which was probably even worse than being angry altogether.

"Kurt," Blaine tried again, "I'm sorry. I didn't come here trying to do this. It just...I wanted to..."

"What, Blaine? You wanted to kiss me? You wanted to watch me cry into your arms so you can so desperately make love to me as you try to mend what you broke?"

"No!" Blaine was pleading now. "No, of course not! I didn't try to find you, Kurt. I had no intention of finding you until I actually saw you. Don't act that way, because you _know_ that I care about you."

"Sure," Kurt scoffed. "Like how you seemed to care about each other so much back then. Do you know how rough the first few months of college were for me, Blaine? Rachel having to kick my roommate out so she could comfort me when I was crying, for example. Maybe that's why she hates you so much. And I regretted deleting your phone number so badly. You don't know how many times I wanted to call you, hear the sound of your voice. I'm sorry, but you can't come back and do this to me again. It's not fair to me, or to you. I'm a completely different person than I was before, Blaine. You want to kiss me? That person is long gone. You can't kiss him anymore."

Blaine just watched, his mouth pressed into a straight line, eyes wide. He couldn't believe he had made Kurt feel this way. He felt so delinquent, and he wished for anything that could make Kurt's pain go away. But suddenly, Kurt's tears stopped, and he looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Kurt said quietly, almost like he was a small child being yelled at by his parents. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get like that. I'm just...never mind. Sorry. It's not your fault."

"No, Kurt, I-"

"I'm going to use the rest room for a quick second," Kurt announced. "Just...make yourself at home. I'll be out it a few minutes."

And with that, Kurt was gone.

Blaine was left dumbfounded on the sofa, staring at the wall. Looking into Kurt's eyes so full of six years worth of pain made him feel like the world's most wanted criminal. He could never believe that in all his years, he made another person feel such sadness. He wanted to make it go all away. He really did.

And then all of a sudden, everything clicked like it did six years ago. Blaine never truly forgot about Kurt. There was always a certain part of his heart that was locked away, stowing the memories of Kurt. Blaine came to realize that Kurt never really stopped thinking about him, either.

Beautiful Kurt. Kurt who should have never gotten his heart broken in the first place. Kurt, who had set up a barrier of protection around his dauntless heart. Kurt. The one who trusted no one.

_I want you to trust me again_, Blaine thought to himself._ I want to love you again._

Blaine's heart beat wildly. He knew what he needed to do.


	25. Breathe

_AN: The song that inspired this chapter is called Andvari by Sigur Ros. I now, weird title and weird band name, but extremely lovely song. If you guys really loved me and my writing, maybe you'd try listening to it...? Chris Colfer's cover of I Have Nothing was breathtaking, and I can't wait to see it in Tuesday's episode! My favorite Whitney song. Also, congrats to Chris on his movie premiere, I promise I'll be the first one in line at the theatre to watch it on opening day :)_

Blaine was having an internal argument with none other than himself.

There he was, standing right outside of Kurt's bedroom. That's the last place that he'd gone into, and now that it was much more quieter than before, Blaine could almost make out the sound of the light pitter-patter of water coming from inside the room. But it wasn't raining outside.

Blaine took a deep breath. He didn't know what he was doing right now, all he knew was that he needed to not be away from Kurt right now. He couldn't stand to be all by himself after what happened. The silence around him just reminded him of Kurt's screams and tears. Blaine breathed heavily, rubbing his eyes with his fists and sliding them up into his hair. He'd never been so frustrated before. What was he supposed to do? He'd do anything to make Kurt happy again.

Slowly, he reached out and gripped the door nob.

Inside Kurt's room was cramped, of course, but Blaine couldn't help but notice that Kurt wasn't in it. Blaine looked around, but there wasn't much to look at since the room was so tiny and one could easily find something. The room smelt of something subtly sweet, like vanilla or lavender. It was comforting, but it wasn't enough to calm Blaine down.

The oddest part was that that same sound of falling water wasn't going away. That's when Blaine turned around, coming face to face with a closed door. He pressed his ear up against the wood, listening warily. The noise was coming from inside.

Kurt was showering.

Blaine's face seemed to heat up about a thousand degrees more, his heart beginning to skip beats. Kurt was taking a shower while Blaine was in his house. After six years of not seeing each other, this was what Kurt decided to do. Blaine didn't know why he was suddenly so nervous. But just the thought that Kurt was completely and utterly naked behind that closed door just made Blaine itch in the best and worst way possible. But there was no way Blaine was leaving their little debacle unsettled.

Not now. Not when the fire raging in Blaine's heart seemed to get stronger and stronger the longer he thought about Kurt. The longer he looked at him, talked to him, remembered him...

And that's when it hit him. Blaine had fallen in love all over again, not just with the ghost of Kurt's memory, but with the new Kurt, too.

His eyes widened with realization. He should be terrified. He should be scared that it had only taken a couple of days to fall in love with Kurt once again. And hell, if this wasn't love, then it was certainly something strong and undying.

_I love you_, a voice chanted over and over inside Blaine's head. _I love you, I love you, I love you._

Blaine reached for the top button on his shirt and tugged.

**MEANWHILE**

Kurt's favorite thing to do when he was stressed out or frustrated was to take a shower. Just soaking himself in the gritty soap suds, washing them away and watching as they traveled down the drain...it relaxed Kurt. It made him believe that things were going to be okay for a while. The shower was an escape, a place, a secret region where he could sing his heart out and not have to worry about what other people thought about him.

So, it made perfect sense for Kurt to be doing just that right now. But he felt unsure, knowing that Blaine was sitting right outside in his living room, or gone by now. Kurt didn't blame Blaine if he had left already. Kurt had to admit that he did get a little dramatic earlier. But he had his reasons to. Blaine was simply the most charming, kind, handsome, compassionate man he'd ever laid eyes on. And it just wasn't fair because now that Kurt was over him, or, at least he thought he was over him, Blaine had to just march right back into the picture.

Maybe he should've gone out and apologized to Blaine for freaking out. This was the first time that a shower wasn't relaxing him or calming him down, therefore facing his problems was the only way to go.

Kurt allowed a few angry confused tears slide down off of his cheeks and down onto the tub floor, almost as if they were never there. Kurt just wished he could stop being so sullen when it came to relationships and love. Because to be honest, Blaine was the only one to make him feel like he was constantly riding a thrilling roller coaster, and their relationship had lasted a couple of weeks. Kurt closed his eyes once more, facing straight up into the water.

He heard the door open.

Kurt didn't flinch, however his eyes did fly open. He stood completely still. Just the tiny creaking of the door opening slightly, and the gentle shut of it closing, sealing the world away. The water suddenly felt a million times hotter than before, or maybe it was just him. Kurt's heart beat sped up faster and faster by the second, but he did not scream. he did not yell, or cry for help, or shout in anger. He just stood there. Waiting, and apart of him hoped that he was dreaming. The other part of him hoped that he wasn't.

Blaine couldn't believe what he was doing. There he was, being a complete ignoramus who couldn't be patient enough to wait for Kurt to come outside. He swallowed heavily, so much that it almost hurt his throat. He was standing as stiff as a board, dressed only in his boxers in the middle of Kurt Hummel's bathroom. Steam surrounded the room, fogging up the glass mirror and already beginning to free Blaine's curls from it's gel. Blaine stared at the dark blue shower curtain, the only thing separating him and the gorgeous, torn-up man from each other.

The movement from the other side of the curtain stilled, and that's when Blaine knew that Kurt knew he was inside the same room as him. He could practically hear Kurt's quick pitter-pattering heart beat. He wondered if Kurt could hear his own. He stared at the curtain with pensive eyes, knowing that it one swift movement, he would be able to see every beautiful part of Kurt's body. But that wasn't the reason why Blaine was standing in the middle of a bathroom nearly naked. There was a whole other emotional aspect that he needed to break open. Not for himself, for Kurt.

Kurt listened vigilantly. He shuddered beneath the water when he heard the familiar snap of an elastic waistband being slid down. The flush in Kurt's cheeks and neck could have covered his whole body. He didn't know whether to say something out loud or...or, he didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do. A man who he may or may not have feelings for was standing right outside Kurt's veil of protection, and his mind fought with itself as he decided what to do.

The self-debate his brain was having silenced immediately as soon as the curtain slid open just a tiny bit.

Kurt's breath hitched quietly when he saw him climb into the tub. The water started to rush onto Blaine's back, down the front of his shoulders and down the back of his neck. Kurt blinked to make sure he was seeing correctly. The sight before him almost made him want to fall over and faint on just how _beautiful_ Blaine really was.

Kurt's stellar eyes scanned the top half of Blaine's body. He took in the toned chest, the smooth looking, tanned skin that looked burning hot at the touch, the defined arms, the black curls beginning to droop down from their product...Kurt couldn't tear his eyes away. However, he did not look down. He didn't greedily take in Blaine's appearance just because they were like this together. That's not the kind of floozy person Kurt was. He was more into appreciating a human being's body rather than attacking it.

He shyly looked up into Blaine's eyes, which looked slightly orange from the dark curtain blocking off most of the light. Blaine stared right back into Kurt's eyes, not saying anything and also not looking down. Kurt appreciated the gesture. But then again, he always knew Blaine would never take Kurt's body for granted. Or anyone's body, for that matter. Kurt just wanted to reach out and press his palms, his lips, to every delicate part of Blaine's body, wanted to feel the water rushing over them as the silence broke through... it wasn't like Kurt hadn't seen a naked body before. He'd seen a few during those nights at college when he'd snuck a boyfriend into his room after hours, but they were nothing compared to the landscape before him.

Very slowly and as gentle as possible, Blaine stretched out a tentative hand until his fingertips were grazing Kurt's silk-smooth cheek, free of any blemishes and open to caress. They both froze, Kurt shutting his eyes at the warm touch, Blaine not daring to speak. Using the hand that was cupping Kurt's face, Blaine pulled Kurt just a little bit closer to his body. Kurt was sure he was about to pass out at the suspense.

They gazed at each other for what seemed like centuries, and now that Blaine could get a clear look at Kurt's face, he could see the red rims on his eyes. He'd been crying, that was for sure. Blaine leaned in at a snails pace, and when he was finally close enough to Kurt so that he could feel his breath on his face, he pressed a very soft, almost non-existent kiss to Kurt's forehead. Kurt sighed at the touch, but he knew this was wrong.

But Blaine wasn't stupid. He could tell just by looking at the look in Kurt's eyes that he'd missed this, missed being held properly, and maybe even missed the memory of Blaine. Blaine wanted to tell Kurt that it was okay, that he'd missed Kurt too, and that he just wanted to show him in every way possible. But then Kurt was pushing a palm against Blaine's chest, trying to gently shove him away.

"We can't," Kurt's voice sounded constricted. "It's over, Blaine. It was a long time ago. We grew out of each other."

"We _never_ grew out of each other," Blaine whispered, now taking Kurt's face in both of his hands.

"I love you."

And then lips were crashing together firmly, wet and moist from the shower water. Inside of Kurt's mind, a symphony of beautiful violins and brass horns were playing.

Kurt's gasped beneath Blaine's burning touch, one of his hands coming to rest on Blaine's shoulder blade, feeling the beads of moisture beneath his fingertips. This was a kiss like none other. A kiss he could never be able to forget or shake the feeling off of his lips that were moulding themselves against Blaine's.

They'd never felt like this before. It was like someone set the room on fire, every touch leaving trails of goosebumps. Hands glided along slick skin, fingers tangled into damp hair, and arms wrapped around backs and necks. Kurt felt himself gently being pressed up against the cool, tiled shower wall, as Blaine continued to seal his lips against his own. Kurt's lungs were on fire, his head spinning...he loved it.

Their lips separated with a loud smack, their foreheads pressed together. Slowly, eyes began to open as the men panted, trying to regain use of their lungs. Bright blue reflected on hazel-green, bodies pushed together and allowing no air between them. Blaine could feel Kurt's hot breath against his lips, and then he latched his mouth onto the side of Kurt's neck, sucking carefully. Kurt leaned his head back onto the wall, his eyes rolling shut.

He gripped Blaine's toned back as he continued to kiss Kurt's clavicle, feeling the broad shoulders and moving muscles beneath his skin. Kurt had never experienced something so erotic and sensual in his entire life, and the sensation was unbelievably diverting.

"Blaine..." Kurt let out a small whimper when Blaine's curious lips brushed past his throat. Kurt moved his face to the side so he could catch Blaine's mouth in a feverish kiss that was nothing but lips and tongue. They got to explore each other's bodies all over again, and in some ways, unlock each other's hearts.

Blaine moaned into the crook of Kurt's neck when he felt Kurt reach his hand over and gently cup the certain part of him usually kept hidden. "Kurt," Blaine's voice was hoarse. "Kurt, I...you-"

"Shh," Kurt hushed very softly, kissing a spot on Blaine's jaw. His hands trailed up Blaine's spine to the nape of his neck, fingers playing with the loose curls there. Blaine wrapped one arm around Kurt's slender waist, the other hand steadying his back. Kurt as shaking, trembling at this surreal sensation that was possessing his body.

It was when Blaine's hand went to reach for Kurt's thigh that Kurt felt his feet leave the tub floor, and he was now being hoisted up into the air, his legs coming to wrap around Blaine's waist. Kurt's body was now trapped between Blaine and the shower wall, the water pouring down on the both of them as they kissed with more passion than ever. Kurt didn't care if his lips were chapped by morning. Blaine was really here, holding him, making him feel jubilant.

"Oh, Blaine," Kurt's voice was shaky, "Please..."

Kurt's plea was cut off by a pair of delicious tasting lips covering his own. And after that, everything was a blur.

There were moans as low as the bottom of the uncharted sea, and soft screams as high as the heavens. Feeling their bodies respond to being one felt overwhelming, too overwhelming to even handle. Hearts were on the verge of bursting, and their lips moved quickly, trying to take in as much as possible. The hot moisture sliding down skin wasn't the only thing keeping them warm anymore. Blaine felt his mind go to mush when Kurt tugged at his hair or arched his back. They were incredibly close, and not only were they joined physically...but now, attached by the heart.

Everything went still, after a while. The men stood wrapped up in each other's embraces, standing right underneath the shower head, the water washing away any trace of grief. Kurt shut his eyes, his cheek resting on Blaine's shoulder, his hand tracing random patterns onto Blaine's bicep. Blaine was still breathing irregularly, with his eyes also closed, his bottom lip pressed to Kurt's temple. They stood in silence for a few long minutes, really thinking about what had just happened.

Kurt could make out the faint beats of Blaine's heart and how they were beginning to return to normal. He pressed a small, almost shy kiss to Blaine's collarbone, and that's when he heard a very soft, hoarse voice whisper sweetly into his ear.

"I lost you once," Blaine cooed. "I'm not losing you again."

Kurt just simply gazed up at Blaine. He didn't know what to say, or ho to react. All he knew was that despite the past drama, he was here with Blaine now, and in this moment, they were unstoppable. Kurt replied to Blaine by reaching up and kissing his swollen lips, still vaguely tasting of honey and tea.


	26. Pillow Talk

"This is weird."

"I know. But a good weird."

"Mmm-hmm."

They lay side by side in Kurt's bed, dressed in t-shirts and cotton sweatpants straight out of Kurt's closet. The quiet, muffled noise of honking cars came from outside, where the city streets stretched beyond the horizon, but to the men, it was as silent as could be.

Re-connecting with something so unfamiliar, was in all senses, strange. When you're apart from someone for so long, it takes a while to get used to everything again. The fragile touch, the delicate smile, the way the person's eyes light up as they giggle, even their sweet aroma of vanilla and lavender. But after a while, it just seems like nothing had ever left in the first place.

So the men lay there facing one another, the window curtains open so that a dim-lighten glow from the streets of New York shined inside of the bedroom, but not enough light to be over-powering. Other than that, the room was dark. They gazed into each other's eyes, noses almost touching, contemplating whether to smile or speak. It was almost like a staring contest.

"So," Blaine said, his voice getting trapped in the blankets, "What does this make us?"

"I don't know," Kurt sighed. "I don't regret what we just did. But I don't know what to feel."

"I didn't plan this, you know. I never planned any of this, especially not the part that happened about twenty minutes ago."

"I know," Kurt smiled. "You wouldn't do that."

Silence.

"Did you mean it?" Kurt asked.

"What?" asked Blaine.

"When you said it. When you said you loved me."

Blaine pondered for a moment. He thought about the fire that coursed through his veins and into his heart when his lips were on Kurt's, how at home he felt when he heard his voice singing a song. Blaine smiled the smallest of smiles, just a tiny tug from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, I did," he replied, and Kurt's shoulder's visibly relaxed.

"I..." Kurt started. "I'm not so sure I can say the same, Blaine. I mean, not yet. I don't know. I'm so confused. I don't even know what happened tonight."

"I understand," Blaine said, reassurance and apprehension in his voice.

"It happened such a long time ago," Kurt's voice sounded like it was being constricted one again. "You and me, all of this. And it's like everyday, I wake up every morning and try to forget about all of the mistakes I've made, but they just keep coming back from the dead to haunt me. And I always ask myself why I never thought of you as a mistake. I now I realized, it's because you weren't."

Blaine looked at Kurt with such a deep, intense feeling that Kurt couldn't quite pinpoint what emotion it was. The large, hazel eyes bored into Kurt's soul, and then Blaine just moved in close and kissed Kurt lightly on the lips.

"You were never a mistake for me, either. I regretted it so much after when I broke up with you. We were young, and stupid, and we only knew each other for a few weeks, and look at us now. We're still young, still stupid, and still have only just known each other for a few weeks."

"Do you think that's just us falling back into the same old paths?" Kurt asked.

"No I don't," Blaine said. "And even if it is, we had crossing paths. I don't really believe in destiny or fate, but some things are just worth giving a shot, unexpectedly and unintentionally."

Kurt placed his hand gingerly on the side of Blaine's face, stroking it twice before pulling him in for a deep kiss. Their lips moved lazily for a while, as they were both starting to get a little bit sleepy.

"Stay here tonight? Please?" Kurt asked after they pulled away, his hand still on Blaine's face.

"Of course," Blaine smiled. Kurt moved his arm so that it was draped around Blaine's waist, Blaine's arm mimicking the pose. There was nothing else they could say, so instead, they let the soft hum of the city take them over. Kurt's body was exhausted in the best way possible after what just happened, and lying in the soft sheets just made him feel all the better. Especially when there was a man undeniably breathtaking right next to him.

Kurt felt a pair of lips peck his forehead, and then he allowed sleep to take him. His breaths were quiet and calm, completely forgetting about Rachel.

**LATER ON**

Rachel cursed herself silently as she made her way up the apartment steps. She hadn't expected to be over at her friend's house, a woman her age named Theresa whom Rachel met on the set of _Wicked_, for this long. Luckily, Theresa had been kind enough to give her a ride home, even with such a harsh blizzard trying to knock the city over.

When she finally was able to stumble through the door, shaking off every last bit of cold while removing her pumped-penny loafers, Rachel huffed. Most of the lights were off in the house, so Rachel assumed that Kurt went to bed already. However, Rachel noticed that the television was left on, and she found it very odd when she walked up to the coffee table to find 2 cups of half-drunken tea sitting there. Rachel spun around back to the welcome mat near the door, where there was an extra pair of shoes that didn't belong to Kurt, and a jacket hanging on the rack that Rachel knew she had seen before.

The realization hit her.

Rachel quietly and slowly padded down the hallway, trying to make as little noise as possible, and Kurt's door was open just a tiny sliver, barely even enough o slide a fingernail in. Rachel gently pushed the door open, glad that Kurt's door didn't creak and squeak. Rachel pursed her lips into a thin, straight line and her eyes narrowed as soon as she saw the sight before her.

There was Blaine, dressed in Kurt's old pajama's, throwing his body all over Kurt's while both of them slept. Rachel couldn't believe it. After all these years of trying to comfort Kurt, encouraging him to move on... Blaine just had to come back and completely ruin it. Rachel just loved Kurt, and was only trying to look out for him. It killed her to see him completely sullen in college, and she didn't want to see it happen again. With the same guy, of all people.

Rachel had no idea what the men were doing in the house. Of course, her mind wandered to_ that_ idea, however she didn't jump to conclusions so quickly. Rachel knew Kurt would never just give his body up to some jerk from a long time ago unless he really meant it.

Still, even though Rachel was pretty upset about Blaine being in Kurt's bed, smothering him, she couldn't help but notice how adorable they looked together. With Kurt's head nuzzled into Blaine's neck, their arms splaying sloppily around each other's bodies, and their breathing soft and light made them look like the perfect couple. Except, Rachel had no idea if they were a couple or not.

She sighed and decided now was not the best time to figure that out. Tomorrow morning, she would have a serious talk with the both of them. But for now, Rachel quietly closed the door and headed to her own room across from Kurt's. It certainly was a long night for everybody, and sleep was a basic priority at the moment.


	27. A Spontaneous Idea

Morning came slowly, the sun just beginning to break out over the city. Blaine awoke like this as well, his eyes blinking away the sleep. His eyes came to settle on the blank ceiling above him, and the more awake he became, the more aware he became, too. He could feel a still, breathing body curled up by his side, brushing his rib cage and arm. Blaine tore his eyes away from the ceiling before they landed on a slumbering Kurt.

Kurt breathed in and out very softly, his uncharacteristically messy bangs falling into his eyes. Blaine swept them away with his finger, placing a soft kiss onto the other man's forehead. Kurt mumbled incoherently, stirring, but then he just relaxed again and went back to sleep. Blaine smiled and slowly got out of the bed to use the bathroom, careful not to wake Kurt.

After he was finished in the bathroom, Blaine rubbed his eyes and walked into the living room. He eyed the two glasses of tea that were still on the table, probably stone cold by now. Blaine looked outside the tiny window, watching all the yellow taxi's and buses begin to embark on their day. The events of the night before came flooding into Blaine's head, and he couldn't stop the small smile on his mouth. Blaine moved his finger's up to trace the curved shape on his lips, remembering how Kurt had kissed them into the pattern. He couldn't believe that this was real, that it had been real. He never knew one night could feel so amazing.

"Have a nice night?"

Blaine almost jumped out of his pants as he spun around. Rachel was sitting with her legs crossed on the couch, her hands folded in her lap neatly. Her hair was in a smooth bun, and she wore a pink tank top with pink sleep shorts. Her face wasn't angry, but instead it was blank and emotionless, which was even worse.

"Rachel," Blaine said, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that-"

"You didn't know that I lived here too?" She asked. "That's strange. I always recall going home with Kurt after work, anyway. But it's December 31st, so no one has work today."

Blaine just stared at her as Rachel stood up and made her way to the window beside Blaine. She just looked outside of it, her eyes scanning the city below.

"I don't know what you two did last night," Rachel said. "I assume it's something I wouldn't be too happy about."

"We did nothing...bad," Blaine coughed. "I can assure you, I didn't take advantage of him."

"He's my best friend. He got hurt once."

"I don't know what your problem is with me, Rachel," Blaine sighed. "I know you're probably really pissed off about Kurt, but it happened a long time ago. You're treating me like I'm Satan when all I really did was break up with Kurt."

"_All _you did?" Rachel turned to Blaine now, her arms crossed as she flicked hair from her face. "He was crushed. And so was I. I have my reasons for hating you."

"You don't hate me," Blaine said. "You're just really mad at me. But I can promise you this: six years ago, when everybody was busy prancing around in their bathing suits and getting tanned up, I was treating him like he was the only thing that mattered to me. I didn't dump him because I was bored of him. I dumped him because I didn't know we were going to see each other again until a few days ago."

"I know," Rachel said after a very long time of silence. "I know. Sorry. Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge. My dad's always taught me to be aggressive when getting something I want. Maybe I took it a little to heart."

Blaine snorted. "Yeah."

"But you know why I'm angry with you."

"Of course. I'm not hanging around here to break into Kurt's pants every night. I...care. About him, I mean."

Rachel wasn't so sure she believed this at the time, but she decided to go with it anyway. By the way Blaine's vulnerable eyes were wide and pleading, Rachel did know that he was making an effort, not just for Kurt, but for her.

Rachel nodded her head. "Just...please. He's important t me, despite how much we fight. Please don't...screw him over again."

"I'll try my best not to," Blaine promised. "I am human, after all."

"What had he said to you? Are you guys off the rocks now?"

Blaine thought about it. "I don't know. He hasn't told me anything yet."

Rachel shook her head, laughing to herself.

"What?" asked Blaine.

"I can't believe I'm going to tell you this..."

Blaine eyed her suspiciously.

"Okay," She said. "I'm letting you in on a little secret. Kurt Hummel is no prisoner when it comes to relationships. You can't just lure him into your arms with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers and expect everything to be okay. Kurt likes things that are spontaneous, acts of love that reflect how much you really care about him. If you really want to permanently keep him, you need to do something...creative."

Blaine raised his eyebrows. "What do you recommend?"

"It's New Years Eve," Rachel said, "Build something off of that."

Blaine thought about it. He was going to need to do something not over the top, but perfect enough so that Kurt liked it within the next fourteen hours. An idea came crossing to Blaine's mind, and he smiled, making Rachel watch curiously.

"I think I have something," Blaine said.

"Already?" Rachel sounded incredulous.

"Yeah. But I'll need your help."

"What do you need?"

"Just...here, just keep him occupied for the whole day. I'll give you my number so I can keep you updated, but I need to go out into the city to...to get things ready." Blaine started to head back into the bedroom to retrieve his clothes.

"But-what are you-" Rachel called. Blaine's smile was goofy, love struck.

"Don't worry! It'll be great! Just keep him busy until I say so."

Blaine grabbed his jeans and sweater from off the ground, Kurt still sleeping snug in his bed. Blaine ran to the bed one more time and kissed Kurt on the cheek without waking him.

"You just wait to see what I have in store for you," Blaine whispered.


	28. The Scheme

_The Boy Next Door has been on repeat for the past two hours. Chris Colfer did a lovely cover, and those gold pants made me swoon. However Rachel, Puck's and Beiste's story lines had me tearing up a little bit. Enjoy the chap, some more stupid stalling. _

Kurt could feel the smile on his lips, even as he roused from his sleep. All around him felt warm, safe. Kurt wished he didn't have to wake up so soon, but then he remembered why it was probably a good idea to do just that. Kurt's hand slid over on the mattress to the space next to him- only to feel it bare and cold, an absence of a body.

Kurt's eyes shot open.

He scanned the empty area next to him. The last time he'd looked over, Blaine's body was peacefully slumbering next to him. Now, there was nothing.

Kurt got up out of bed and ran to his bathroom. He knocked on the door, and when no one responded, he turned the handle and walked inside. No one was there. He sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at the ground, sighing.

He should have known everything was too good to be true. Of course Blaine would have left by morning. It's not like they were dating or anything. It was just one night. One night of fantasies, of happiness. Kurt felt his throat tighten.

He got up from his bed, padding his way into the kitchen. He didn't even notice Rachel sitting on the sofa until she spoke up from behind him.

"He didn't leave, you know."

Kurt almost dropped the glass of orange juice he was pouring himself, and he yelped and spun around.

"Jesus," Kurt's chest heaved, "You scared me half to dea- wait, wait...you saw him?"

Rachel nodded. Kurt's face flushed slightly, and he looked down.

"Don't worry," Rachel smiled at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not mad at you. I mean, I was at first. But it's okay now."

Kurt looked at her, his eyes a little sad.

"Hey," Rachel said, "He's not gone. He just went out for a little bit. But he wouldn't leave you like that."

"How do you know?" Kurt pouted.

"Because," Rachel announced in a loud voice, almost like the kind that speaks on the radio. She took Kurt and led him to the couch. "I have been instructed by him to keep you pre-occupied for the day until he gives me further notice."

Kurt's was puzzled. "What?"

"Ooh, we could have a movie day!" Rachel squealed, clapping and bouncing in her seat on the couch. "Or I could give you that face mask thing made out of avocado's and cucumbers. Or-"

"Rachel," Kurt interrupted. "Where's Blaine? Why did he ask you to do that?"

Rachel patted Kurt's hand. "Give it some time. Trust me. You're going to love what he's doing. You'll see him later on tonight, I swear."

Kurt wasn't convinced, but he didn't think he was going to get a good answer out of Rachel. "If I keep asking questions, it's not going to be any use, right?"

"Right."

Kurt eyed her suspiciously, a little ticked off that her and Blaine were keeping secrets from _him,_ of all people. He could have sworn Rachel and Blaine were natural born enemies- or at least, Rachel was the annoying, roaring lion and Blaine was her prey. But Kurt just decided that if something good was going to happen, like Rachel said, he might as well be patient.

"Alright..." Kurt said.

"Good!" Rachel beamed. "Now, we have the whole day to ourselves. Are you up to that movie day?"

"I guess so," Kurt shrugged. "I mean...I could use something to maybe cheer me up and distract me from my complete confusion." Rachel just smiled and threw her arms around Kurt.

**MEANWHILE**

Blaine walked the streets of Manhattan with a dopey grin plastered on his face, a pocket full of cash, and newly changed clothes. He'd gone back to his hotel room to change and to retrieve some personal items. He now had Rachel Berry as a contact on his phone, something he thought he'd never have. Life sort of unexpectedly changed things, though.

Blaine had a little bit of an idea of what he was doing. He was sure that the people on the sidewalk thought Blaine was a lunatic who escaped from an asylum, with his giant smile, wide eyes and a little bounce in his step. But he couldn't help himself. He was just so grateful that he could have another chance at this. He wanted to make sure things were perfect for Kurt. This was the most adventurous, curious and time-consuming things he'd ever done for anyone. But he loved planning ever moment of it. It reminded him that this was actually real, and that Kurt wasn't an old, faded ghost of a memory.

He walked into a small flower shop next to a tattoo parlor. He took in the brightness and sweet smells of the shop, how cramped and boxed in it was so it made the smell even more over powering. He walked to a glass door that contained all different kinds of flowers, looking like a rainbow of petals from behind the door. Blaine eyed the giant roses from behind the door. They were probably the biggest roses he'd ever seen in his life, so big that Blaine started to imagine them being genetically modified in a lab.

"Excuse me?" asked Blaine, spotting a young woman who worked behind the counter. She looked up from her newspaper and walked over.

"Hello," she said cheerily. "Happy New Years Eve. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering how much a bouquet of these flowers cost," Blaine asked, pointing to the roses. He remembered what Rachel said: that bribing Kurt with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers was not enough to woo him. But while these flowers were for Kurt, Blaine was going to use them in a completely different context or how you would normally present flowers to someone.

"Roses aren't very popular this time of the season," said the woman. "So you're in luck that there's so many left. A full bouquet with wrapping paper and ribbon usually cost about $20."

"What colors do you recommend?"

"For the flowers? I like the white, yellow, and the classic red roses." The woman smiled. "For someone special?"

Blaine grinned. "You could say that."

This was going to be the greatest long-day of Blaine's life.


	29. The Super NYE Midnight Countdown Part 1

Time seemed to last forever, and as the minutes ticked on by, the more impatient Kurt grew.

It had been almost ten hours since Kurt had woken up at around eleven, making the time nine-thirty at night. So far, he and Rachel had spent their New Years Eve watching as many old movies as possible. They were about half way through _Dirty Dancing _when Kurt sighed, clearly irritated.

"I can't take this anymore," Kurt huffed, standing from the couch. "While movie day with you is quite fun, it's New Years Eve, Rachel, and Blaine completely ditched me."

"I'm...I'm sure he's coming soon, Kurt," Rachel bit her lip. "He's going to call or text me, and I swear to god, you'll be happy with what he planned for you."

"What is he supposed to be planning for me?" Kurt demanded. "What is he doing? Why was I not informed if he's doing something for me? If he calls you, you better give me that phone so I can scream until his curls fall off."

"I can't tell you," Rachel said. "It's sort of a surprise."

"Surprises don't take a million years to plan."

A few minutes later, Rachel's phone buzzed from on the table, and before Kurt had enough time to reach it, Rachel dived in and snatched the phone, running to the other side of the living room and reading what appeared to be a text.

"Oh my god, give me your phone," Kurt sounded frustrated.

Rachel didn't say anything. She stood in the corner, skimming the screen with her eyes, a smile spreading across her mouth. She then ran to the coffee table, picking up a pad of paper and a bright pink pen, scribbling whatever was written on the text.

"What are you doing _now_?" Kurt whined.

"Shh!" Rachel hissed. "Let me write."

So Kurt just stood there, looking at the ceiling and trying his best not to pounce on his roommate and rip the phone away with his bare hands. When Rachel was done writing, she tore the paper off of the pad, folded it neatly and handed it to Kurt.

"Blaine just told me," Rachel began, "That these are crucial instructions and they must be followed immensely carefully."

"I have to go outside now and freeze my ass off?"

"Don't worry," Rachel reassured. "This is New Years Eve. You'll be having too much fun to even think about being cold."

Kurt looked sympathetic. "I don't want to leave you home alone tonight."

"I won't be alone, I'm going to that party, remember?" Rachel reminded him. "If anything, you should be thanking Blaine for giving you something to do tonight. But I'll keep my phone on me at all times and you need to call me in case he gives you a hard time. I'll kick that hobbit over faster than he can say "Broadway."

Rachel's voice was motherly...a stern, violent mother, at least, and it made Kurt chuckle.

"I don't know what I'm getting myself into," Kurt sighed, taking the paper from in between Rachel's fingers. "And maybe I'll be dead by tonight. But if Rachel Barbara Berry approves, then I'm sure it won't be too harmful."

Rachel smiled, leaning up on her tip-toes to kiss Kurt on the cheek. "Happy New Years, Kurt."

"Happy New Years, Rachel," he replied, giving her a quick hug. "I'll see you later."

"Don't have too much fun with that boy."

After Kurt laced up his boots and buttoned his coat, he hesitantly but curiously made his way into the streets of Manhattan. The night was bitter cold, and there were many people starting to make their way to Times Square, where the New Years ball was scheduled to drop in about two hours.

Kurt sighed, and the cold air turned his breath into a white puff. He looked down at Rachel's neat handwriting, all of her "i's" dotted with hearts.

_Kurt,_

_I'm sorry to keep you out in the cold, and I apologize thoroughly for leaving without saying goodbye this morning. But I can guarantee you, this will make up for it. Please follow these instructions to what I like to call, "The Super New Years Eve Midnight Countdown Extravaganza! (: _

Kurt paused to giggled to himself lightly. It was a ridiculous title, but Kurt always knew Blaine to be the corny type. And he was also the only person Kurt knew who could make corny seem sweet. Kurt read the first step:

_One: Walk by Andrea's Flower Parade Shop about three blocks from here. I've sent instructions if you can't find it._

Underneath this were the instructions written out. Kurt knew where this flower shop was-he passed by it every day on his way to work. However he wondered why Blaine would make him go to a flower shop, of all places.

Kurt walked a little quicker than usual, just to get rid of the cold. There were many people shuffling in the streets, dressed in thick coats and scarves, making their way to Times Square. Some people like to spend their New Years by celebrating. Other's spent it by following directions off of a slip of paper, running around the city.

The woman behind the counter greeted Kurt warmly the second he walked through the door. He shook off his shivers and walked to the counter.

"G'd evening," the woman said.

"Hello," Kurt replied. "Um, I was just wondering...this is going to sound so stupid, but I was instructed by a...friend to come in here. Apparently there's something waiting for me, or...?"

"Yes," the woman beamed. She walked out from behind the counter and opened the glass door, containing all the flowers. A powerful aroma wafted into the shop, making Kurt's head dizzy from all the sweet smells.

The woman returned to the counter with a bouquet of flowers wrapped in a plastic cover, a green ribbon wrapped around it to hold it in place. The bouquet was small, but the buds of the flowers were huge. Kurt stared at it.

"Well," the woman said. "Aren't you going to come retrieve your gift?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow at her, but slowly walked to the counter and took the flowers. His fingers skimmed over something smooth, and Kurt looked down to find a big, yellow sticky note attached to the bouquet. The handwriting on it didn't look at all like Rachel's. Kurt anxiously tore away the note and began to read.

_There are three types of roses here:_

_White, which represents purity. Kind of like how when I look at every detail of your face and see nothing but beauty. You're just so perfectly untouched, unscathed, no matter what obstacle this cruel world had to throw at you._

_Yellow, which signifies friendship. You gave it to me so many years ago, and I took it for granted. But it never meant that I stopped valuing how important it was to me._

_And what's a corny love-story without red roses, which symbolize love? That's another thing you gave to me long ago, even if no one saw the obvious hints. It's what you give to me now._

By the time Kurt was finished reading, his face was as red as a tomato, a subtle smile trying not to break out on his face. He looked up at the woman and just by looking at her face, he knew that Blaine was here.

"Do you know where he is?" Kurt asked. The woman just gave a smile.

"That's for you to figure out," she said. "All I know is that he said these flowers are for someone he cares for deeply."

"Thank you," Kurt smiled. He began to take out his wallet. "Should I...?"

"Nonsense," the woman laughed. "Do you really think that nice young man would make you pay for these? Go on, have a great night."

Kurt waved her goodbye. "Happy New Years, and thanks!"

Kurt cradled the flowers close to him, sniffing the sweet, calming scent coming off from the petals. They were probably just squirted with super scent to make them smell more appealing, but the flowers still made Kurt feel...dare he say it?

Loved.

As he took out the directions from inside his coat pocket, he had to battle with himself to suppress his smile and fit of giggles threatening to rise in his throat.

_On to step two_, Kurt thought.

_AN: More of Kurt's adventures in the city will continue in the next chap (: I'm thinking maybe 2 or 3 more chapters left until the story is done. Then, I want to move on to another story I had planned. Story ideas just come to me naturally! I'm a fanfiction writing machine._


	30. The Super NYE Midnight Countdown Part 2

_Two: I need you to stop by this jeweler's store really quickly. Please don't freak out! I didn't buy you anything expensive. I know you'd freak out at me for doing something like that, but trust me. This had to be done._

Kurt quirked an eyebrow at the writing on the paper folded in between his fingers. This probably was going to end poorly if it involved Blaine and any form of jewelry. But Kurt just shrugged it off and read the directions on where to go on this cold, spirited night full of celebrations and new hopes.

Kurt climbed into the nearest taxi he could find. After getting in and settling himself, he told the driver where to go. The drive was a little long considering all the people making their way to Times Square. The taxi Kurt was in seemed like a salmon swimming upstream. But the clock wasn't ready to strike midnight just yet. There was probably about and hour and twenty five minutes just before that happened.

"Headin' anywhere special tonight?" asked the driver just before Kurt exited the vehicle.

"Somewhere very special," Kurt replied.

"Where ya off too, kid?"

Kurt just smiled. "I don't know, really."

Walking along the sidewalk was quite peaceful, almost. Since there weren't many people around, the air was almost calm. But then again, it was New York. The lights twinkled and the noise echoed even at 5 am.

Taking out the slip of paper from his coat, Kurt stopped in front of a small boutique, reading the words on the paper to make sure he was at the right place. When he found out he was, Kurt sighed, a little nervous and excited at the same time, and walked inside. The small tinkling of bells above the door signified that Kurt entered. There was a small, silent old man behind the front desk, and he nodded his head when Kurt came in.

Kurt was surprised that some of these people were still working on a night like tonight, but most small, unrecognized shops had to stay open at every chance they could get if they wanted to make money. Including nights like tonight, which was unfair, really.

"Excuse me?" Kurt asked the old man quietly and carefully, because quite frankly, this man looked so ancient that he'd pretty much become extinct within the next few seconds. "I'm looking for something in here. My name is Kurt. A friend of mine told me to come here, but I'm not sure why."

The old man looked over his giant glasses and said, "Oh yes. Kurt Hummel. A nice young man has been in here all day telling me about you. He paid for something for you. I'll go get it now."

The man walked to a small glass case containing hundreds of metal objects, and when he returned, a small box was placed in his withered palms. He placed it on the table for Kurt to examine. Once again, there was a big sticky note attached to it.

Kurt slowly opened the cover to the box, taking the lid off completely and marveling at the beautiful object inside of the box. It was a thin, silver chain with a small hour glass attached to it. The hour glass had gold dust inside of it, and it contrasted lovely against the red satin box. Kurt picked up the lid again and read the note.

_Kurt,_

_Hour glasses are sort of corny in most people's opinions. Usually you use them to time somebody during a board game, or creepy old ladies keep them in their houses next to their cat statues. But this one is different._

_We both messed up really badly a long time ago. And as much as I wish we could go back in time, like most hour glasses can claim to do, we can't. But every time you turn over that chain and watch the sand fall, just know that I hope you're giving me another chance to start over again. That sand can fall continuously as long as you reset it. I know I can do that for you, too._

_Love, Blaine._

Just like in the flower shop, Kurt's face was scarlet. While he was lost in his train of thought, the old man's raspy voice cut through.

"That young man," he said, "I figured he was talking about you."

"Really?" Kurt asked.

"You hold on tight to him. Gems like that aren't found very often."

_Yes, they can actually be found twice,_ Kurt thought to himself. He thanked the old man, wished him a good night and was once again out into the cold. He took one giant deep breath through his nose, allowing the air to nip at it, filling his lungs with a refreshing feeling. Kurt slipped the chain carefully around his neck, tucking the hour glass safely inside of his coat. The chain felt secure around him, like he was meant to possess such an object.

_There was only one more step left to do on the sheet of paper._

_Three: Last step. I know there were only three parts to this gigantic scavenger hunt, but it sure did take a lot of time to do two things, right? The last place you need to go to is probably a place you've never hard of. It's a little diner called Felissimo's, and no, I'm not talking about the colored pencil company in Japan. But anyway, this is where you should be going. I've listed the instructions below._

_Love, Blaine._

Kurt in fact had never heard of this place before. There were just too many hidden burrows in New York City, almost one at every corner you turned. So it was normal for someone, even a native of New York itself, to not know every route.

Taking another taxi, Kurt arrived at the shop at around mid-eleven o'clock. The mini televisions inside the taxi cars all had live broadcasts of the New Years countdown in Times Square. Kurt wondered to himself how he was going to be spending that 60 seconds of counting down the clock while everyone else prepared to hug and kiss each other after the year changed.

Kurt's boots clicked on the pavement as he made his way to the shop. It was pretty small, and from what Kurt could see, the people inside of it were huddled up to the bar area where they were watching the television. Probably waiting for new years, as well. It was almost time, anyway.

There was a small patio just outside the shop, where people could eat when it was warmer outside. The chairs, table tops and umbrella's were covered with a thin layer of snow on the patio. Kurt was just about to walk past it and open the door to the shop, when he heard a voice.

"You made it. Just on time, too."

Kurt jumped back, a little startled, his head whipping around to one of the patio chairs.

"Blaine."

_AN: Only one more chapter after this! :D_


	31. Don't You?

"Blaine."

"Hi, Kurt."

Kurt couldn't believe it. Blaine was standing near one of the chairs, his guitar slung around his back. They stared at each other for an eternity, and then Kurt swallowed.

"So...this is my surprise, huh?"

Blaine smiled shyly. "Yes. Nothing very special."

Usually Kurt would come up with something witty to answer, but he was just so surprised and caught off guard right now to even say anything.

"Listen to me," Blaine took three long steps and then he was in front of Kurt, taking his cold hand into his warm one.

"Listen. You know how badly I messed up then. We both did. And it was something that we probably both regret every day. I realized something, though. Coming here to New York wasn't an accident. I planned coming here for New Years. I planned playing some music down here in hopes that I can make a name for myself. But I did not plan meeting you again, nor did I plan getting to re-connect with you. It's made me realize just how special you mean to me, Kurt. You don't understand. I'm not looking for what we had all those years ago. I'm looking for something even more...even if that's not what I came here for."

Kurt was speechless, but was able to muster out some words. "Blaine...this was...thank you. This was an amazing night. You brought me so many wonderful things that even Alexander McQueen couldn't make me." Kurt giggled. "I appreciate it so much."

Blaine gripped Kurt's arms, looking him in the eye with an incredulous expression. "Wait...you didn't think that this was over yet, did you?"

Kurt stared at him. "Well, you said this was the last thing I had to do. Or- or do you have something else planned for me? Does it involve jumping off a building?"

Blaine smiled. "No. I just...I want to do one more thing for you. It's something that you can't actually wrap up in a box."

"Are you sure?" Kurt asked. "I feel so pampered. It's seriously making me feel a little guilty."

"Please," Blaine pleaded. "This is something I just have to do. Not only for you, but...for me. I need to remind myself that this is real."

Kurt smiled after a while. The streets in this area were much quieter, the only sounds really were the shouts of the people coming from inside the shop, and the howling wind whipping in the streets.

"Okay," Kurt whispered.

Blaine guided Kurt to sit down on one of the patio chairs (all the snow had been scraped off.) Kurt crossed his legs, and as soon as he saw Blaine sling his guitar to the front of his body, Kurt knew what was about to happen.

"Oh, god," Kurt laughed into his hand, covering his mouth.

"I know that this whole thing was cheesy," Blaine said, "But weather it was intentional or not, it was supposed to make...you- us, happy. So, um, this is a song I wrote for you, Kurt. Maybe it didn't start off like that, because I started to write it a little before I met you again, but when I finished it today, I realized that now I had someone to give this song to."

Kurt flushed, and he suddenly noticed that Blaine was, too. Clearing his throat, Blaine gulped and gently began to strum the strings on his guitar. It started out with a beautiful, catchy, sort of back-and-forth thing going on. Almost like a lullaby...but not quite.

_Say, wasn't that a funny day?_

_Gee, you had a funny way—a way about you._

_A kind of glow of something new._

_Sure—I'll admit that I'm the same._

_Another sucker for a game kids like to play,_

_And the rules they like to use._

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel for you?_

Kurt allowed himself to be eighteen years old again. It was something he'd never done before in his life, or at least not since he actually _was_ eighteen. But suddenly, he wasn't twenty four years old anymore, sitting at a patio in New York. Now, he was a teenager with a naive heart, sitting on a doc by a lake one summer night. And of course, it was Blaine who'd brought him there.

_The sun: telling me the night is done._

_Well I refuse to let it stop our fun._

_Close your eyes—we'll make it dark again_

_And kiss; there's a thought, so how 'bout this?_

_Let's pretend that both our lips are made of candy._

_After all, we need sweets every now and then._

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel for you?_

_Here we are, two strangers in a very different place._

_Who knows what could happen to us next?_

_Here we are with nothing but this little spark._

_It's too cold outside to lay this fire to rest._

In these lyrics, Kurt couldn't have heard something so honest, given the situation that the men were in. All they really had to keep them from separating again was each other's trust, no matter how small that fire was. There was no telling what could happen to them as individuals. They'd grown apart over the years, obviously due to lack of communication. Almost like strangers. But as it comes to show, maybe not everyone is such a stranger just because you leave them behind. Maybe in reality, no one is a stranger, and all it takes is a few stolen moments to bring them back.

_Go? How so very apropos:_

_A goodbye just as soon as I said 'Hello."_

_Well alright, I'll see you later._

_It's true: it's just a fantasy for two._

_But what's the difference if it all could have been true?_

_I guess this is better._

_But don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel for you?_

_Oh, don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel?_

_Don't you want the way I feel for you?_

_Don't you want the way that I feel for you?_

And with that, the song ended. Blaine looked shyly down at the concrete floor, and he was shocked to find that when he lifted his head, Kurt's eyes were shining with tears. He bit on his lip, unsure of what to say. This made Blaine jump into panic mode.

Was this not enough to gain back Kurt's trust or to start again?

Blaine almost wanted to smack himself across the face when Kurt remained silent. He knew it. He knew this was going to end badly, knew that Kurt wasn't going to change his thoughts just because he bought him a few stupid gifts and wrote him a song with the corniest lyrics ever.

He'd failed.

Blaine looked back at the ground again, a lump in his throat. "Kurt, I-"

But then a body was slamming so hard into him Blaine thought he would toppled over. Kurt was launched into his arms, and just as Blaine was about to open his mouth to speak, a pair of lips came soaring in and landing firmly on Blaine's.

At last, bliss.

It was like a giant balloon of relieve deflated inside Blaine's chest, his body moving automatically as he responded to the kiss eagerly. Kurt's lips were a little cold- but it didn't make the kiss any less breathtaking. Blaine felt his own eyes seal shut, and only concentrated on the feelings.

"I love you," Kurt whispered. "Thank you so much. This has been the best New Years I've ever had."

Blaine leaned his forehead against Kurt's, breathing heavily. "You...love me?"

"Yes," Kurt smiled shyly, sucking in his lips to suppress a squeal. "Maybe in some way I never stopped. I guess you don't ever stop doing something if it never really ended."

Kurt leaned in and pecked at Blaine's mouth again, quickly. Blaine asked, "So you don't regret what we did yesterday?"

"Not at all," Kurt's voice sounded giddy, but in almost an airy way, like he had no breath left. "Of course not. You don't understand how incredible it made me feel. Even if I was a little confused."

"And are you still confused now?"

"No. Not anymore."

"And...are you opposed to being with an idiot like me?"

Kurt laughed quietly, like a child, and leaned his head against Blaine's shoulder. "I'm not opposed to it at all."

Blaine's heart almost failed in the best way possible. He smiled with teeth, sighing as he pressed his cheek into Kurt's soft hair.

"That makes me feel," Blaine started, "Better than I've ever felt in my whole life."

Suddenly, there were loud chants coming from the inside of the shop.

"...ten! Nine! Eight!"

They looked at each other.

"...five! Four! Three!"

In those two seconds before it became a completely different year and time, time seemed to freeze. Eyes began to flutter to a close, and noses brushed past each other clumsily as their lips fit together.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The separation was almost painful, but as they looked into each other's full irises and small smiles, they realized that maybe all those years apart were worth it.

Kurt once heard a saying that he thought was complete and utter ridiculousness: "When you truly love someone, let them go. If they truly love you, they'll always find a way back to them." Now, Kurt started to understand that maybe it wasn't as fake as it sounded. He used to think that if someone loved you, they wouldn't need to leave you in the first place.

But maybe it wasn't about leaving. Maybe it was about testing waters, seeing if someone was actually meant for you despite not being with them at that particular moment. Six years ago, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't the right time for the young, adolescent minds of Kurt and Blaine. And maybe, _just maybe_, right now...it was.

"Happy New Years, Kurt," Blaine whispered.

"Happy New Years to you too, Blaine," Kurt was smiling as they kissed.

And in that moment, Kurt swore he could see stars.

**THE END.**

_AN: Okay! That was a very corny ending that I think could have been improved, but thank you very much for reading! This story is what I like to call a "lazy story," something with a non-complex plot, that's not incredibly long or incredibly popular. This entire thing was just a random idea that popped into my head, unlike my WTR story, where I spent a lot of time planning what would go into what chapter. I know many of you don't like it when Darren songs are sung by Blaine, but I just had to for this! The lyrics fit perfectly. Also, for some reason, when our boys are kissing on the patio, I imagine the song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" By Iron and Wine playing somewhere mysterious in the background. (I know that you're thinking about twilight now that I mentioned that song, but to be fair, I kew that song long before twilight!) But anyways, before this AN gets longer that the story itself, thanks a lot for your reviews, and I hope to be starting a new story sometime soon! :)_


End file.
